Nail polish and wearing nail polish has always been a bit one-sided. Something women did all the time and guys well they shied away from it because it might make them seem less cool. Thinking it might make them less of a guy or possibly thought of as gay. Not so, but you know how things go. Fast forward a few years and we got rockers, actors all wearing nail polish, usually black and usually on their fingernails for all the world to see.
Now I have been doing research on this very subject because it fascinates me and well because one very nice guy brought to my attention that he wears nail polish not on his nails, but his toes!!
Everyone has a reason why we start doing something. One guy’s reason was because he happens to be a runner and black and blue toe nails are just ugly! His wife covers hers ( she is also a runner) with nail polish and after a bit he started. Now you can read more about his thoughts in the article I have now in the side bar there. Take get a chance and read his article that he so thoughtfully wrote for me called Nail Polish for Men? Its one’s guys point of view on this subject..
Now think about it, today men can order anything they want off the web without some women behind a counter making strange faces at him because he says the nail polish is for him not his wife or girlfriend.
I guess I have a issue with closed minded people. I had lots of emails from other men that I can’t share here because I said I wouldn’t but most say they are just normal men, who just happen to like how nail polish looks on their toes. One guy has been wearing it for over 25 years! And other told me he wears it but his wife doesn’t care for it, but she agrees that self expression with nail polish is a lot easier to get rid of then say a tattoo. And the bottom line is, really, it is just another way of self expression… I think I would rather see a guy with nail polish on his toes after a pedicure then some of the body art I have seen.
Now we have another one guy’s point of view on this subject who even has been kind enough to let us use his picture!
This is from a email that Cindy of BB Couture received and as been kind enough to send it on to us:
Hi Cindy,
I figured I would take a moment to let you know a little about me. I’m a handsome 48 year old (but look very much like a young 30’s) clean-cut light complexion nice looking black male, I was born in long beach, California. I was once married for 14 years, I have no children, i have no current girlfriend and I’m not gay! I love some feminine things that women do and I love women!
My favorite celebrity is Hugh Hefner. I’m a very open minded guy and I love to talk. I’m very serious about my feet and wearing nail polish and I’m about to get my nose pierced with a small diamond!. one of my goals is to walk hand in hand with a lovely lady down the Venice beach boardwalk with sandals on with my toenails perfectly polished for the world to see!
And Cindy, don’t ever be afraid to ask me anything, even if it’s personal, because I want you to know me as a person and I’m very interested in getting to know you as a person and business person.
From time to time, I do wear the french pedicure and I am very open to wear any foot jewelry or any color of nail polish!......and I love your nail polish Cindy, it’s very lasting and goes on so good.
After I have these upcoming photos done and sent to you, I would be very interested in meeting you personally Cindy…. and I thank you for your compliment on my toes, you have good taste lady!.. Mark If you would like to contact Mark his email address:
mmpancakes@gmail.com
What Mark is talking about is Cindy of BB Couture is coming out in August a set of nail polishes with men in mind. It will be called BB Couture for Men.
After reading that and reading Nail Polish for Men? You can see its two different type of men who just happen to enjoy nail polish.
What is about men wearing nail polish? Are we as women afraid it will make our manly men less manly? Now I happen to be very opened minded and feel what ever makes you happy, then do it along as it stays within the law and the law of good taste.
Truth be told its not a gay thing, (I even checked on this fact) Shout to my best bud A. Diva! I had a chat with her about this very subject and she filled me in on this misconception. Not a gay thing! Today everyday straight men are going to get pedicures done because they have found out why women enjoy them so. Not all men are into colors of nail polish, lots just want to wear clear or not at all.
Now here is a quote from a email from my buddy Jake who happens to be helping with the creation of BB Couture for Men:
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Technorati rocks!
I think if I guy wants to wear polish that is great! I feel badly sometimes that it is one sided. i look at my monstrous collection and think it is too bad that only a woman could appreciate it. I can’t imagine polish on my man, though. He is not very edgy or rockerish, and I am not saying you have to be to wear it, but i just don’t think it would suit him. he does have beautiful feet. he actually gets compliments on them from people, so painting his toenails may be a great idea. Now how do I convince him….
Thanks for your thoughts!
Hi Kim! I guess I never expected to see my comments here, on your makeup site, but I am really glad you did this.
There are many men and even women who have an interest in seeing this mainstream endorsement for guys. Many men are ‘afraid’ to try this though because of what others will think. Well, my view on this is that if we governed our lives according to what others think about it, we’d have a hard time getting out the door in the morning – because nothing would be ‘safe’ in everyone’s opinions!
I can tell you and your readers that just letting go of your inhibitions and enjoying what you feel is pretty darned exciting and an exhilarating experience. My first pedicure was a big surprise to me – much more pleasent and enjoyable than I had expected, and I thank my insightful wife for encouraging me to try it! I worked up to wearing polish over time, first with clear, then french and finally colors. I receive so many compliments that I think I would feel pretty weird if I stopped wearing it now.
It’s great to see that more women and men are opening up their eyes to the idea that men can have great-looking feet too, and I truly hope your featuring of nail polish products and colors for men here will allow many more to consider the cool experience!
Wow Jake to be honest I would of been more surprised if you had not.. I spend so much time in the Post Office I have taken to feet watching..
I’m yet to see a guy with nail polish on, but a few feet that need to be hiding cause of lack of care.. But 9 out of 10 guys do have nice feet and look like they might be having pedicures done as well.
Like I said it easier to remove nail polish than a tattoo..
Thanks for stopping by!
Very interesting post. For me, men who wear nail polish is at first an issue for me however as time goes, I learned to accept that not only women has the right to wear nail polish but men can wear it too. If men are comfortable wearing nail polish, then so be it. As of now, it’s no big deal for me.
For several years I wear clear pink nail polish on my fingernails and a pink OPI on my toes. Many times I ahd compliments about my fingernails, how nice and shimy my nails are. I think it looks very elegant and sexy. I wish more men would use nail polish on fingernails, so that it wouldn’t look odd to have your fingernails coloured. Georges.
Hi Kim,
It was really reassuring to find your site. I am guy living in London and have had fascination about nail polish for many years. I have always admired women who have nice nails especially when they were painted nicely and I always wished it would be ok for guys to ware nail polish too. I started off giving my self manicures regularly but very occasionally applied some very pale or clear polish. In recent years I started to ware colours on my fingers. A few years ago, I decided to have a Pedicure and plucked up the courage to ask for them to be painted also. The girls at the Salon were only too happy to do this and I started to visit one every 2-3 weeks. I become quite good at doing it my self and they complimented me on my nails. I remember going to buy some new polish in a shop and the girl asked me straightaway if it was for my self. I was quite taken back by this but I said yes. She didn’t treat me any differently and helped me with the colours I wanted. From that point onwards, I decided to start wearing it at weekends after I gave my self a manicure. I stuck with pale colours mostly but every once in a wile, I went for dark brown and other similar colours. My hair dresser who her self has really lovely nails and wears nice colours usually always compliments me on colours I ware. When I got married couple of years ago, I wasn’t sure how my wife would take to it but she surprisingly was cool about it. She often buys me Nail Polish when we go out shopping however she doesn’t like me to ware anything dark or bright.
I would like to send you a picture of mu nails as they were this weekend. I hope more guys will start to ware it so that it is socially more acceptable.
Kind regards,
Nik
Wow thank you so very much for your thoughtful comments. I would love to see your nails! I am thinking of setting up a page for photos of nails and toes of guys wearing polish. BB Couture now has colors for men chosen by men! We had guys help us work out the colors and more are on the way! I will email you and lets see your nails!
I started painting my toenails at age 13, and then started wearing it full-time in 2000 at age 29. My wife is great about it and thinks it is no big deal. I would like to be more adventurous, but I have received a few not-very-nice comments, but by and large most of the comments are very nice and supportive and those are from women. To me it is like when men started wearing earrings, people made a lot of negative comments and it took some time before it became socially acceptable. As much as times change and society becomes more “open” there will always be negative people and those are the ones to pay no mind to. Tomorrow I have some errands to run and I am wearing flip-flops and I have my toenails polished with ORLY SEASHELL and I am pretty tan so my feet look great! Beautyqueen, I would love it if you put up a photo page and would definitely put some pics up.
Hello ppl !
)
I paint my toenails since 4/5 years, especially in black, maroon or deep red.
I consider myself very pretty, i cure my body and obviously my feet…i make myself pedi 2/3 times/week…and i have beautiful short squared nails.
I’m straight, married and have a very supportive wife, that’s consider this practice normal…
We are a young couple and on holidays during summer, i’m absolutely shameless on showing my feet in flipflops on public sideways, clubs or beaches..
Btw i have “le physique du role” i’m androgynous, skinny and shaved…imho is horrific to see painted nailpolish on a “bear”...
Bye
Wow thanks for sharing!! I think if you are going to care for your feet and wear nail polish, you need not have hairy toes..
I, too shave completely & consider myself “metrosexual”. Yesterday I re-did my toenails & used OPI “I’m Fondue of You”, a really great chocolate-cherry color. This morning I went tanning ( I work evenings, so I do my chores & running around in the daytime) and I wore a pair of brown flip-flops, I bought them in the women’s section, but they look unisex to me…anyway, there was a young man in front of me in line and he turned around, looked down at my feet and laughed at me…at first I wanted to crawl into a hole, but I stood my ground and asked him if something was funny? He laughed at me again and walked to his tanning room. There were 2 women behind me, mid to late 40’s, probably just done working out as there is a health club next door and the one woman was so kind and sweet, she said to me, “Who cares what that idiot thinks, I think you are brave and on top of that your feet look great, we were both admiring how nice that color looks and how nice you keep your feet, don’t be embarrassed and stop doing what you’re doing because of some ignorant person and by the way, what is the name and brand of that nail polish, we both love it!”...she made my day! Then to top it all off as I was leaving the 3 counter girls at the tanning salon motioned me over as I was leaving and told me if that guy ever say’s anything again they will refund his money and he will not be allowed back and THEY wanted to know the name and brand of that nail polish too! so it ended great and I walked to my car proudly with my head held high. This is fairly new territory and people are going to make rude comments and assumptions over sexual orientation due to a cosmetic, very ignorant, but if guys like me don’t stay “out” it will never be okay for the next guys to wear nail polish in public.
Why do we need to use terms such as metrosexual or anything else. I am a hetero guy, married for 39 years with some kids and love to wear nail polish both on my feet (in all colors) and lately in French (although with beige not white tips) on my hands. I’ve been doing it for over 20 years. Compliments galore, mostly from women who wonder how to get their guys to do it. Life is short – who has the right to tell us what is right or wrong if it makes us feel good. I don’t think of myself as trendy or edgy. I am a normal guy who just likes the look. In fact my wife says my feet are prettier than hers. And she is not jealous or angry about it. After all, think about what women have stolen from men with no consequences – high heels (made for men by men and stolen by women), Pants (made only for men and stolen by women). I see numerous women without make up or nail polish – I don’t think of them as not feminine or perhaps gay. Too many inhibitions. Let’s do what makes us happy – we need to enjoy the short lives we have.
Why is society so gender strait jacketing to the male gender? Women have taken so many things from the “males” & called their own, as many have said above. But when men do something out of their little gender box that women have put them in, society looks at em like they’re wrong & shamed for it???? Umm, whats wrong with this picture??? I think its high time that society loses that gender box all together. As antropologist/sociologist Margret Mead said in the 70’s that the genders are going to become more & more alike in the future—& the time is NOW!! I’m a 55yr old metrosexual/heterosexual, been married for 25yrs, & have even gone to makeup artistry school, to go with my photography hobby. I wear makeup in a masculine manner to make myself look better, & my wife thinks I look great in it! I’ve been getting manicure’s for 14yrs & wear clear topcoat on em. I”ve gotten pedicures, along w/my wife & had clear polish put on em. I”m now venturing into color polish for my toenails & see how that looks & feels. I love having a manicure/pedicure b/c of medical reasons, it feels good on my body. My nails are like rubber & have to wear nail hardener, or they will tear badly. So, the polish helps protect them & I enjoy the look they have polished. I am very anchored in my male sexuality, so none of this fazes me, I”m still a man, just more well groomed & looking better for my age.
I came across this blog while doing a little browsing and thought it was a great read. I’m a male that enjoys wearing nail polish of all different shades, I prefer dark purples, blue, black and grey / silver colors. Never been one for painting my toes, but wear it on my hands quite frequently!
I’m not gay, completely hetero, and if anything at all wearing nail polish has been great conversation starters with ladies, and most to all think its great! So any hetero guys unsure about it, I say give it a try!
I am a straight 53 yr old politically conservative, happily married man who just happens to love the way my toenails look painted. It has caused me to look at my feet a different way. I used to take them for granted, if my toenails got a little long I’d either clip them down to the nubs or since they are thinner than usual, just tear the excess off (if I couldn’t find clippers.
Well, one day this last summer I went to pick my wife up at the salon, and one thing led to another, so I ended up getting a pedicure, sans polish. I loved the way it felt, and totally understood why women go for them. It got me thinking about what I have been doing to my feet, and paying them a little more attention.
A few weeks later we were sitting around the pool when my niece and her fiance’ talked me into letting her paint my toenails, and from then on I haven’t looked back. I think my wife is jealous, though. I tend toward the darker and more unusual colors (I am wearing BB Couture “Dark Knight” right now), something she has been hesitant to do, she likes bright reds, purples, and pinks, but I caught her eying my OPI “Suzi Loves Sydney”, and BB Couture “Iced Olive”, I have a bottle of OPI DS “Glamour” coming in this week as well.
I am totally unabashed about my feet now, painted or not. If it were office policy I’d wear sandals or go barefoot. In my own office I do, but slip on some moccasins when I head out. My secretary (excuse me, administrative assistant), and another female co-worker saw my toenails the other day and just raved about them and how nice they looked, specially for a guy. The night before that I got a lot of positive comments from the ladies I sing with in the church choir. If I had known of the reaction I’d get from painting them I’d have done it decades earlier, and probably would have had a lot more lady friends in the process.
My male friends are becoming very accepting too. I was wearing sandals at lunch the other day with my attorney, insurance agent, and another friend, and they all commented positively as well, one even said he was going to give it a try.
Guys, if you are secure in your masculinity, and you want to add a little something to your wardrobe, if not your life then, if you are so disposed, give toe-paint a shot, start conservative at first, then be a little adventurous. You might just have a little fun.
Thanks Kevin for stopping by and leaving your thoughts! I think Dark Knight is a awesome color! I would love to see your toes!
Kim,
I’ll get around to sending you some soon.
Your article is entitled ‘fad or trend,’ – I’d have to vote trend, or maybe even the next level past that. Men wearing nail polish began to be widespread in the 90’s Thanks to the rock stars out there – then – it seems – that after the year 2000 – this practice has literally exploded out there!
I’m a 100% straight male, who has been wearing nail polish ever since the 80’s, when rock stars like Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler were wearing it all the time. I started out wearing nothing but black on the fingers and toes, and I still basically wear black most of the time on my fingers. But, with my toes, I’ll wear any radical looking color or design on them, or otherwise with the plain black, most people will never notice ones toes. I’m particularily fond of sports teams colors and team designs for my toes, which looks very masculine on them, couples up with my team jerseys that I usually like to wear. For the other males out there that may really like the idea but are still a bit timid, going to a sporting event wearing team colors is the perfect way to break out! My girlfriends in the past all loved the idea, and my fiance really digs it! For me – Nail Polish Rocks! It’s just an extension of radical looking hairstyles, piercings, and tattoos – that’s all. I plan on wearing it for a very long time – if I make 80, I may be the only old dude in the nursing home with racing stripes on my wheelchair and my nails! Thanks for the illuminating article!
ps – for the ones really interested in this – go to Flickr.com, and in their search window, type in ‘nail polish,’ and click on any of the photos there by the dude called ‘St. Louis Punk-Rocker,’ he is a very big proponent of this cause!
Wow thanks! I am so glad to hear from you! It maybe a trend but its not as open as many men would like. I hear from all kinds of wonderful
men who wear polish on their toes and never share it with the world. And others who are very open about it! Thanks for sharing!
Dear BeautyQueen,
I am rather new at keeping my feet well pampered and toenails well polished. I’m free to try all types of colors and shy away from sticking to “manly” colors. Nail polish has given me much confidence as a man and a little perk to life. I am married with daughters and the act of painting their toes one weekend got me started. I’m inspired and now write a little known blog about it. There are many pictures of me wearing a polish and writing about how I feel. Please check it out: http://9prettypiggies.blogspot.com and leave me a comment. Thanks, 9PPs
Thanks 9 pretty piggies! I will stop again and take a peek. I love the fact that like yourself and others who have comment on this blog
post all agree, its a really neat thing to do and no one cares what others think.
There is a lot of “Im not gay” going on here and while I can understand the need to make that point concerning the subject – I AM gay and I paint my thumbs, I do it not to thief from the “female tradition” or be femminine as a closed mind would expect from a gay…but rather because I’ve always seen it a little bit Raw and punk to do so – moreso shun the whole establishment of assignments (lol)- I started though, by doing my whole set of fingers in a nice sandy Versace varnish but now I only use Opi and I stick to just my thumbs as I like the way it looks with my tattoos and other modifications (just medium gauge(2g with a goal of “1/2)stretched lobes). My colors are Black Onyx, Big Apple Red, Blue My Mind, Greenwich Village, Russian Navy Matte, and You Don’t Know Jacques from the new Suede line. I usually always have my left black to signify certain beliefs I hold close to myself and the right thumb in any of the other shades. I wear polish to feel unique moreso than to feel uhhh polished I guess, heh. I just can’t wait for the world to open its collective mind and graduate from the simple antiquated thought paths battered into it’s brain since inception of right angles…ok, stay true to yourself all. keep it solid.
Thanks Clint for your honest thoughts. You are correct all that have said anything about this post have been pointing out that they ‘are not gay’ and I am really glad to finally have someone add they thoughts who is. I am a open mind person, to each their own but its so interesting to read all the comments left for this post. I think its very important to be true to one’s self and if wearing nail polish makes you feel good then do it!
“I think its very important to be true to one’s self and if wearing nail polish makes you feel good then do it!”
Exactly. That is my point entirely. Gay, straight, who cares? Life is too short to worry about labels, either our own or the ones we stick on other people. I admit that it has been a problem for me in the past, but I’m learning to be more accepting.
For me wearing polish on my toes makes me feel good, and that is it.
Kim,
Check out the blog I just started.
http://toebad.blogspot.com/
Best regards.
I just stumbled on this site because I was interested. I am a straight guy who likes to enjoy some feminine articles. I like the feel of stockings, my wife sometimes puts mascara on me when we go out to bars, and she has in the past had me wear glue-on nails. “You want me to wear long nails? Then you try wearing these for the weekend,” she would say. They would never stay on when trying to open a pull-tab or using your thumb to pull on socks or shoes. They would hurt like hell after a while because the curve did not match my real nail.
This time it was, “You want me to wear gel nails on vacation, then you do it first.” So I went down to her nail salon and asked for French tip Gel nails. The tips to be white and as long as the nail bed. It took 90 minutes. I had never done anything like his before. When she finished they looked great, and felt just like my own nails.
I put my hand in my pocket to get the money, and nothing broke. I thought other customers would be laughing behind my back, but there was nothing. My wife said, “Wow, those look great. Let’s see how you feel about it in a week.” I did not know it was to be a week.
The next day I got up and drove thru McDonalds. I completely forgot about them until I went to pay. The girls just smiled and gave me my change. I had to go to WALMART. Some people looked at me funny in the store, but when I was unloading the cart at checkout, the girl said nothing. I had to hand her the credit card, and get the bagged stuff from her, but nothing.
They feel great. Except being twice as long, there is no difference. Do I have to take them off in a week?
Roger
Thanks for your thoughts! And no you don’t have to take them off after a week. Most nails like gels or acrylics are good for about two weeks. After that you can see that your own nail is showing at the base. Most get their nails filled after about two weeks some can go longer but not many do. I would ask your nail tech about how long she feels you should go between fills.
So glad you stopped by!
And you know what? Good for you!! It takes a real man in tune with who he is to do something that many would feel is just a ‘woman thing’ doesn’t make you any less than a man. If you are ok with it, and your partner is go for it!
Whether it is a fad or a trend, it is entirely up to the indivual. A man is still a man whether he wears nail polish or not.
I’m a married guy who does some part-time hand modeling when called. As result, I been going for manicures and wearing clear-coat nail polish for years to protect my nails from the pounding they take from my full-time job. I love Sally Hansen’s Natural Shine Instant Nail Finish. But I hear it’s going out of production so I’ve stocked up. I’d love to wear some of the men’s nail polish I’ve seen from this thread, in public. I hope it becomes more mainstream. Maybe someday…
Thanks for stopping by! And yes maybe someday it will become more mainstream but for now lots of guys are wearing nail polish for no other reason than to them it looks good. Most people don’t go around looking at other people’s toes. I would love to see your hands though.. part-time hand modeling? How cool!!
Thanks Kim. I’m considered a “gender netural” hand model because, quite frankly, my hands are very delicate to the point that people often mistake them in photos as women’s hands. I’ve modeled products like office supplies and uni-sex bracelets (some of which I get to keep. I have to keep my hands and arms free of hair as to keep the gender-neutral look. So I’m sure that colored polish on my fingers would really draw attention in public—not that it would bother me. But on my feet…I wear the Sally Hansen product on my toenails too and I do wear sandals in the late spring and summer. Hey, maybe I’ll give it a try and see what happens! Those colors look great!
Go for it George. I’ve worn polish on my fingernails a couple of times, even at the office, and even though some of the guys were a little taken aback by it, the women seemed to love it.
Thanks for your feedback and comments to George. I personally would love to see his hands wearing any of the BB Couture nail polishes for men
Kevin, thanks for the encouragement, but the environment I live and work full-time in is behind the curve when it comes to people breaking traditional molds. I’ve had a bracelet on my wrist and clear coat on my nails for 20 years, yet I still get stares. But you’re right, the people who are the most accepting and complimentary are women. Some women will even grab my hands to tell me how “pretty” they are. My wife is cool with with my jewerly and polish as long as I don’t push the envelope any further. She knows I need to keep my nails in great shape for when I get called upon to model. Such calls usually come on short notice. And Kim, I hope to mastermind a top-secret operation some day: order the BB Couture Vise polish, get to my nail tech to get a manicure and have her apply the polish early some Saturday morning before her customers roll in, then come back home, take some photos of my hands and send them to you. The photo won’t be as professional as the studio shots I’m in, but it should be okay. I just love that Vise color!
Well you know George if you don’t mind me emailing you, I got a interesting idea I would LOVE to run by you
Okay.
Kim, I think you need to put me on your “safe list” or something similar as my e-mailed response to you is bouncing back.
i think the comment made about it being another form of self expression is interesting and i agree. i have worn red and pink on my finger nails and got funny looks from people. i feel better when i wear nail polish so why not wear it.
I wear clear nail polish on my finger nails because the manicurist who does my nails said it would make them stronger and look nicer. I have to admit I like the way it looks my nails look shiny and healthy and they are stronger. I used to just have them buffed to shine but this is just as nice and it last longer. I get lots of compliments on how nice my nails look. And for the record I am straight, 36 and currently with a beautiful 20 year old.
Thank you so very much for your comments! Its great to hear from guys about their choices in nail polishes.
I Think That Both Men & Women Can Wear Nail Polish.I Wear Black Nail Polish & Im A Guy Also Im Straight…Just Be Confindent And Dont Care Wut Ppl Think Or Look At U
Thanks Alexmetal12, for your comments!
I am a happily married 57 year old straight man with long hair.
I just don’t understand why it is such a big thing to wear nail polish on fingers and toes. I have dark grey metallic polish on my fingers and black polish on my toes. I frequently wear a jean skirt with sandals publicly.
I have a grey suit that I wear on Sunday mornings. The grey fingernails go great with the suit.
Guys, if you want to wear nail polish GO FOR IT! We men really need to expand our options.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving us your thoughts. We love hearing from all guys who wear nail polish or wish they could. I totally agree with you, its time men expanded their options. Nail Polish is easier to remove than a tattoo ever would be..
Interesting article qand comments.
I’m now a 57 year old male and happily married since almost 25 years.
many years ago I started to paint my naails and still do. I have never used the colours of black, dark brown etc., but a lot of pink, red and puple.
For the toes I wear regulary polish (in office no one can see the toes) but in off time with open toe sandals I have never had a bad comment. i also polish the fingernails and keep them a bit long, for work mostly only clear polish but sometimes also frens manicure. I have tried extensions with gel etc. and at this very moment (I’m on holiday for a couple of weeks) I have my fingernails with gel extension and painted in pink.
I am a 39 year old male who loves to wear nail polish especially really shiny colors whenever i dont have polish on my nails r always have a yellow tinge to them so i paint them various colors and i think it looks great have been doin this for some time and people have come to give me nice comments about them.
Kim, I’ve begun a blog about men and nail polish to give women and men a guy’s perspective on this – check it out: http://toepaintguy.blogspot.com/
I try to address many of the questions that come to mind when people see a guy wearing his nails polished. I’ve even interviewed some women and men about this and I am posting these interviews on the blog.
I thoroughly enjoy having great looking nails! I polish my toenails only and wear them openly where appropriate. I have met many very cool open-minded people because of this style and have receive a lot of compliments too!
I think I have managed to talk more than a few other guys into trying it, and quite a few gals to get their guy to try it as well. My goal is to promote this as a popular and common style for men, as an incentive to take better care of their feet (and we all know most guy’s feet could use a little help…).
There are a lot of other guys who are also wearing polish and promoting this, and I think we’re making this a lot more popular than it was just a couple of years ago.
Thank you for the great attitude and for posting these comments! The BB Couture Men’s colors are awesome
Man can wear nail polish if they want to. I am a straight guy who recently just starting to go to the nail salons to get my nails done. I love to paint my nails red and other colors. I even get a French manicure and pedicure sometime.
Well I have just read all the above comments and just wanted to say I have been doing it for over 8 months, love it
My only wish is that I could do it outside and not worry about the looks, My wife loves it also..Looking forward to the day when I can just “do” it at the beach… 
There is no reason that you can’t do it. It is not illegal or immoral. Women wear items of men’s fashion everyday and no one thinks anything of it. Just do it! That is what men did when they started wearing earrings.
I came across your web site while shopping for nail polish on eBay. I’ve just started wearing “Suzi Sells Sushi by the Seashore” after spotting it during my last pedicure and I love how it makes my feet look so slender and healthy! The girls at the salon were mildly surprised but were more than happy to apply the polish. My wife and daughters kidded me briefly but now take it as part of my grooming. I’m going to try some clear matte finish for daily wear on my fingers. I find high gloss too distracting at the office. My wife often compliments me on how smooth and shiny my fingers look with clear coat. I’m glad to see so many guys embracing a positive self image. I see so many ugly feet on guys I wish pedicures were more accessible even for the ‘rougher’ males. Keep polishing everyone! Oh, and thanks for a wonderful resource!
I am a Dutchman and during the world cup soccer I was, ofcourse supporting my native land, the Netherlands. I bought my Orange outfit, cap, shirt, shorts and socks but that was not enough and I bought also orange nail polish. I wore the nail polish for the duration of the championship, sadly Holland lost. but I gained more nerve to wear nail polish on my toes and it begins to grow on me, I like it. I have also clear polish for my fingers but that is not to often so for yopu guys out there I am a convert.
Tom
Tom,
That is so cool. I have been wearing a lot of orange nail polish this summer, and I am crazy about how it looks on my feet. I am wearing an orange shimmer right now, with a matte top coat that gives it a nice satin finish. My secretary loved it so much she painted hers the same way, using my polish. I’m going to have to get some more at this rate (wish I could get volume discounts). Enjoy. It is a fun hobby, totally harmless, and for us attention addicts, a really great way to break the ice.
hi i am a 32 year old strait male ive been wearing nail polish on my toes and fingers now for over 16 years ive tried plenty of diferent colors but black ,dark blue and clear are what i prefer dont mind dark purple now and then either lol my girl friend of many years likes it so much when she goes shoppping she often comes back with diferent color nail polish and wants me to try them on so guys dont be afraid do it if you like it after all its only paint good luck
So I was reading the coments left by some, & it seems to me that lots of guys are afraid of what others think! I know for myself I can’t control what others think about me especially when I’m abiding by laws and not endangering anyones including my life! Whew!, so I’ve been painting my fingers but mostly toes for 12 years now, since my senior year in public school. Now that I’m married my wife of 4 years now was iffy on the matter while dating &, now she’s asking me if I’ll do swatches for her on my toes! Whenever I have my fingers painted which is mainly down by her, I chose nail colured polishes, mattes &, glosses. Females I believe notice my toes more than other men, it’s like guys don’t care, whereas women think & say “wow, cute, only real guys… & that’s different!” The comment only real guys can paint their toes, is to me so not true, there are other guys of course more manly than myself, that just don’t care to think of it, whereas I do. I’m not metro, emo, & I don’t wanna be gay because those lifestyles are not my choice! So to boil it down, my wife & I have uncountable things in commen & 2 other somethings in commen thats really cool are marriage!, & our pedicure sessions! Let’s live life & just be kind to one another!
I just started wearing color. I have looked at several blog sites and the one thing that is missing is the support of the nail polish companies. I know a couple have come out with a “men”s line of Polish”. But there is no promotion of the product. No TV ads, No magazine ads to speak of. If we men are going to get the “clearance” from society, society must see that it is an approved hobby or art or what ever you wish to call it. So help us by asking the nail polish companies to support this for men. I have tried “malaga wine” a dark red, “Black Cherry Chutney” almost black, “Lunar Eclipse” a beautiful shade of blue, and I am now wearing a “green with glitter.” And I am looking for a new color that I have chosen, a brown with glitter.
Keep polishing guys.
Why do men need permission from society to wear nail polish? Women don’t ask for permission to wear men’s clothing – they do it everyday. Are men really that insecure? Also, we don’t need men’s nail polish just like we don’t need men’s shampoo and hair products. We don’t want men to be confined to certain colors of nail polish like the normal drab black, brown, blue, or gray. Many years the only dress shirt color a man could wear was white. Any other color was perceived as feminine. How ridiculous! Men do not need to be limited to this drab color palette. I have been wearing toenail polish for many years and I always wear bright red or hot pink. After all, women wear black, brown, gray, and all colors. Do we need to take one step forward by making nail polish for men and then one step back by only making men’s nail polish in drab and boring men’s colors? I say “NO!”. Men should just be able to go down to the beauty supply store and by any color of nail polish that they like. Yes, it’s women’s nail polish, but so what? Men need to get over it and be strong!
I have to admit, when I first heard of guys painting their toenails with nail polish, I thought there was something really wrong with them.
But, my mind changed one day when I was waiting for my wife as she was getting her nails done. A couple walked in and took the pedicure stations right next to her and they both got their nails polished! She got a maroon and he got a very deep blue color. My wife remarked that maybe I should try it, and then the pedicurist added that they had more men getting color on their toes now.
Well, I went along and tried it, and after getting over the initial trepidation, it was a kick!
That same day, as we were shopping, I received a number of nice compliments and I decided right then that I would definitely try this again!
That was three years ago and I still keep my toenails looking awesome with polish.
Never seen the issue with men wearing nail polish. Have been wearing it on my finger nails for the past 10 years and I rarely get any negative vibes from people that see it.
In fact I find it to be an almost instant talking point, especially with the ladies
Currently have shiny azure, light purple, dark cherry, silver, bright red and shocking pink along with the ubiquitous black in my stock.
Three rules, 1) never be afraid, 2) if you want to try it then try it, 3) never hurt anyone. Rule three can override the other two.
Thank you so very much for stopping by and leaving us your thoughts on this subject. I am hearing lots of great stories about how men have gone ahead and had a pedicure done. Got their toes painted and loved it! And you are so right ladies would be interested in why you might be wearing polish.. cool!
I am a 53 year old men, I have always liked painting my toes nails and have done it home, but lately I started doing on holidays, light white is the colour I use, and never have felt any kind of social rejection. It is true that normally are women that look at my feet, most men don`t even notice. Anyway I still find myself kind of weird doing something most men don’t … Anyway, I like it very much, and I am trying new shades of colour for my next vacation.
I like too wearing more thin strips sandals than those sold for men, I think men sandals are quite ugly, but it is difficult to find something that fits my size without being too girlie, so I usually mod my men sandals to look more sexy, and the result is the same with my painting, no social rejection, and more feminine looks at my feet and interchange of smiles.
It is a shame that men’s clothing and looks are so boring and standard, while women can dress and look any way they like, men are normally very restricted.
I am a happily married straight man, and I love women.
Hey, I’m a straight guy who loves manly fashion and I’ve been curious about polishing my finger nails for a while now. For some reason particularly dark grey with a minimal faint hint of blue.
Now what you women need to understand about straight guys is that for some strange reason we hate to be accused of being gay, even if it’s just in a joking manner but we really hate it. Now as someone who is interested in fashion and has a good taste, I already get enough of that crap and the only thing that stops me from trying the polish is “what would the other guys say?”
It really annoys me that it is that way but I just hate dealing with it. As I have tried to get some confirmation on the web, I’ve come across quite a few sites where men shared their interest in polished toe nails – I find that very courageous because that to me seems more kind if on the edge than fingernails, maybe because I just don’t personally like it but hey whatever floats your boat right? What I’m trying to say is
1. I really admire guys with polished toes for their courage but at the same time
2. I wonder why there are no people out there with polished finger nails? If you do your toes then why not your fingers? Am I weird somehow that I like the idea of fingers but not of toes ?
you are not weird, I myself would like to wear my fingers painted in the same colour as my toes, and I would love to wear more visible colours … but hands are much more visible than feet and probably wearing our toes painted is enough …
it is a shame but we males have lots of restrains about our wearing and look, as I said I would like to have the same freedom women have about their look, they can wear almost anything, and everything is fine for them, but we simply cannot do it …
male repression? should we start a movement reclaiming the same freedom women have achieved?
i was at first taken aback by guys wearing polish. Even in my old nail tech days, many men would ask for a clear polish to make their nails shiny. I thought it was different but I didn’t think it was odd. And lately, within the past 2 years, I have seen men wearing polish, fingers and toes. Well, I love to wear mens clothing! I love the look and style. Why should we be one-sided? I find it a wonderful expression of celebrating our bodies to use makeup, style our hair and to wear polish on our nails.
Wow thanks for stopping by and leaving your comments Kimberly! Hearing it from a nail tech makes this even more cooler.. I get lots of comments from guys if you read them all. I think they have as much as right as we do to wear any color they want.
I had a couple of friends die recently of cancer. One of which could definately been prevented, the other who knows? I then started the men with red toes awareness canpaign, to promote cancer awareness and get people talking to each other about it. It does work, I wear a button that promotes the cancer awareness campaign, and when I go the the local hospital, Dr’s, shopping etc. weather permitting I wear my flip flops. You cannot believe the comments I get, particularly from women, who all start talking about it, with each other, and their boyfriends and spouses. Last time I went in for a blood test, everyone said they had heard about it. It will hopefully result in someone, somewhere talking about it, and making a difference in someones life ( or death) as it may be.
I also wear other colours on occasion, when I get tired of looking down at red toes, I originally picked bright red for the “Shock Factor” .
I do get alot of comments from women again, and some but very few stange looks from men, but if you don’t like it…..f … it.
Greg Elliott
Thanks so very much for stopping by Greg!