THE HILL: The recent rise in popularity of “male polish” isn’t anything the world hasn’t seen before, and men have been coloring their nails for thousands of years. / Nail polish in ancient Babylon is thought to have represented different classes, and warriors painted their nails to “intimidate their enemies.” / “MANicures” now are often celebrated for their association with gender fluidity and male self-care and grooming.
After Brad Pitt arrived at the Palm Springs Film Festival in 2015 flashing a rainbow manicure, lifestyle magazine Elle lobbed a question at its readers: “are ‘MAN’icures becoming a thing?”
The answer: It’s complicated. Yes, an increasing number of highly visible men are now sporting what some refer to as “male polish,” but men coloring their nails really isn’t anything new. In fact, if you think “MANicures” are something entirely novel, you’re about 5,500 years too late.
According to a 2018 paper from the University of Rochester Medical Center, men have been coloring their nails since at least 3500 B.C., in ancient Babylon.
“Babylonian male warriors adorned their nails with ground minerals as part of a pre-battle ritual designed to intimidate their enemies,” researcher Jeanette Zambito wrote.
Nail polish is thought to have represented different classes at that time — the darker the color, the higher the class. There’s evidence that primitive forms of polish, made from materials like henna, flower petals and beeswax, were also worn by ancient Egyptians and Chinese, regardless of gender. » | Brooke Migdon | Thursday, January 13, 2022
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Guys Are Wearing Nail Polish and We’re Here for It: These guys are putting the “man” in “manicure.” »
