Why Don’t Men Wear Nail Polish?

Honest question.  I ask it because of a post I’d seen recently by Darren Garnick about Fish Pedicures.  Darren braved having his feet nibbled on by baby fish in what was being presented as an alternative to the typical pedicure that one receives at a nail salon.

link: http://darrengarnick.wordpress.com/2008/11/20/fishpedicurex/

But Darren took this pedicure opportunity one step further and had his toes painted a nice shade of orange.  It seemed like the logical next step in the pedicure process to him, so why not?

Well, based on the many comments that were generated by his article. and others that linked to it, I detect that there is somewhat of a pent-up hidden desire by men to experience wearing nail polish (or at least an interest in trying it).  Why this interest?  Doesn’t it seem that this is entirely out of character for men to have any interest in this, other than admiring it on the toes of women? 

Apparently, there are quite a few guys who don’t think so.  And, apparently, a lot of women also think this is hot on guys, based on some of the comments posted on these many linked blog sites.  Okay, it’s not unanimous by any means, many men don’t want anything to do with nail polish or anything else that is remotely feminine.  And many women think that nail polish on a guy is about as attractive as lipstick on a pig.  So, I am not saying that it’s openly endorsed by everyone and their grandmother, just an interesting trend developing.

The part that still intrigues me is that there are still a large percentage of men and women who are willing, actually genuinely interested in considering this for some reason.  And that seems to defy the general belief that ‘it’s just for girls’.

I know that I have always liked colors, especially intense colors.  I thought that maybe it was just a guy thing, that maybe men don’t see colors as vividly as women, so when they see an intense color, it is visually stimulating.  Likewise, maybe men tend to be visual creatures and they respond well to these cues. 

Well, all I can say is that I do know what I like, and I am intrigued by the many cool and interesting shades and finshes (creme, shimmer, frost, holographic) that nail polish comes in.  And now days, you can find polishes in many colors other than the the traditional reds and pinks.  There are great blues, greens, oranges, silvers, browns, blacks and grays – you name it!  There is the entire spectrum or color available, and when you stop and really think about it, what is feminine about the color blue for example?  Isn’t that the color of beanie they put on male newborns to differentiate them from the female babies?

Well, we’ve come to the point in this blog where it’s time to hear what you think.  I am sincerely interested in not only whether you think that men should or should not be able to wear nail polish, but I am really interested in why you feel the way you do about it.  I think it’s an emotional thing, that there is no real hard justification either way, but more a matter of how you feel about it, based on your own beliefs, social examples you’ve been exposed to and your personal style.

Please comment on where you are on this, male or female, pro or con.  Let the readers know!

Tags: color, feet, foot, male, man, men, nail, paint, pedicure, polish