So I just started watching The Sopranos a couple weeks ago, for the first time ever. I know what you’re thinking: “You call yourself a TV buff and only JUST started watching The Sopranos?” It’s borderline embarrassing, but don’t worry, I’m already on the last season. Now, I’m sure when most people watch The Sopranos they notice the violence, blood, imagery, and character development…but not me. I noticed the nails.
I’ve always been obsessed with nails. If you ask my mom she will tell you how when I was four years old I used to put on the long, fake slip on nails they sell at CVS and tap my fingers on every hard surface. It might sound weird, but I think I have always noticed people’s nails because they say a lot about a person. Just like someone’s hair or clothes, they are a way for women to express themselves. So naturally when I started watching The Sopranos, I was drawn to Carmela and Adrianna’s long, acrylic, almost ghetto nails. But then I started thinking more about what nails not only say about individual women, but what they say about women in general.
When you watch Mad Men or The Sopranos, shows featuring misogynistic, self-obsessed, prostitute loving, male lead characters, you will notice that all the women have very long nails. Both Betty Draper and Carmela Soprano are blonde, passive housewives with nothing better to do than what I did as a four year old, tap their nails on the kitchen table. I know that on these “high concept”, award-winning shows, costume design is considered very carefully. So this made me wonder: are long nails a symbol of anti-feminism?
Then I looked back at a new HBO show that just finished its first season, Girls. I noticed that all of the characters, especially Jessa, perhaps the freest spirit among all of the characters, not only doesn’t have long nails, but her nails are very short and bitten down. Now, I’m not sure if Lena Dunham planned this (I doubt she did), but this is a very female oriented show, and all of the girls are independent with short nails.
As times are changing, are women wearing their nails shorter to assert their independence?
What do you think?
Once Upon a Time Dating 
Your mom is and always has been the most judgemental nail person I have ever met. One month she will see me with my signature pale polish and tell me it is so tacky to wear any color. Nude is what it’s about. The next time i see her, she will be wearing wicked and swear she never said that. Am i off-tangent? I think I want my own blog!! Delete if you want- no insult….
I enjoyed the post. Second, I’m a dude and I like done-up nails (up to a point, no pun intended) on a woman.
Few people have the “entire package” for the opposite sex, but the only statement I see from women who don’t do their nails is either “can’t” because of their line of work or an allergy, etc., or they don’t care enough about that part of their appearance. I doubt I live in a vacuum.