Someone asked me recently how my interest in nail polish began when
they spotted my toes glistening from the sun in a rich, satisfying
shade of forest green. I think they were wondering why I would
willingly subject myself to the scrutiny and judgment of others who
believe that men should not have an interest in something as vain
and frivolous as nail polish. I told them that I just liked it. Simple
as that. I mean, if you take the position that it is something not
worthy of one’s attention, then you have just made an assumption
that roughly half of the population focuses their attention on
something that is not worth their time!

Why would a man find this interesting and worthwhile, enough to even
become at all enamored with? Well, that is a good question.
Because it’s primarily emotionally-driven, maybe that’s why men
aren’t naturally driven toward it. But does that mean that men
should not be emotional? How many women would love to have
their guy show more emotion and be a bit less rational in his
decisions and considerations?

Color is everywhere we look. It is prevalent in nature and can be used to
attract and to hide, to send a message and to make one feel more
comfortable. It enhances every aspect of our lives, and
without it, life would be quite gray. The color of nail polish is an
ever-changing and intriguing insight into how a person feels about
themselves. Ask a woman how she chose the color of nail polish she
is wearing and she will more often tell you that it is what she felt like
wearing.

Do men feel? Well of course they do. Do men see and like color? Well, I
hope so! If not, the many rich and vibrant colors that they paint
their cars, boats and motorcycles with would be a total denial that
men do see and feel color. And the many women who wear
beautifully colored clothing and accessories, leaning heavily on their
artistic nature to coordinate and compliment their mood seems to
indicate that color plays a very important role in our society, and we
know colorfully dressed women attract men! Marketing professionals
know this all too well too. They use color to train the eye toward
what they want us to notice and desire.

So, getting back to the discussion about whether men should wear more
expressive colors, and consider using nail polish as women do, it
brings up an obvious question (obvious to me anyway) of why more
men don’t do this already. Have you ever asked a guy if you
could paint his nails? Try it sometime! You will find that your
question will be met with an awkward stutter of “well, it’s not right”
or “men don’t wear makeup” or “I don’t want to be labeled as odd”.
But behind their response is a notion of uneasiness about being
‘noticed’. Women love to be noticed! But even with the macho
front, many men don’t want to stick out. They like the apparent
security of being ‘one of the guys’, or maybe put another way, safely
fitting in to the ‘safe’ male image.

There is another reaction though, one that you probably will not see on
the outside. Men are curious. That curiosity gets them in to trouble
a lot too, but in this application, men are intrigued by something that
is different and potentially a bit dangerous and risky. The idea
of trying something like wearing nail polish is a bit threatening, but
at the same time very interesting and exciting to a guy. If he feels
he is in a safe environment, meaning that no one else can see him, and
that his partner will not tell all of her friends, he is liable to try it to
see how it feels – for the thrill of it. But really ‘safe’ environments
rarely exist, so most men will not go there for fear of begin ‘found
out’. Another surprise revelation (for some of us anyway) is that
many men already do wear nail polish – on their feet! But you don’t
see it because it is often done in strict privacy so they can enjoy it
while avoiding the anticipation of other’s opinions about it.

Okay, now let’s explore why a guy would even consider wearing nail
polish. Well, it may be a surprise to you, but it’s not really about the
polish itself. It’s about feeling good about oneself that primarily
drives this secret desire. Men want to feel good (doesn’t everyone?)
and they are known to do things that are not safe or
mainstream to get that feeling. Why would a man want to drive a
motorcycle fast in traffic…or jump from a perfectly good
airplane...or cheat on his wife? Because it’s exciting, dangerous and
full of intrigue and unrestrained emotion. Trouble is, these risks
more often gets him into trouble than not, so most will avoid these
things. What if a guy could experience some of these similar
emotions, but in a way that did not harm anyone? Wearing nail
polish in a vibrant and eye-catching color is one way to experience
this emotional ‘high’ and it is entirely safe.

And it’s healthy. What? Consider this perspective; if a man is mature
and self-confident enough to try something that is pleasurable and
has little negative consequence, yet provides a heightened degree of
emotion and a satisfying level of danger and intrigue, he has to have
a pretty healthy level of self-confidence, that he does not allow what
others think to drive his decisions and choices. And it shoes that he
is man enough to go out on a proverbial limb to try new things that
are exciting and ‘different’ from that safe male image we talked
about previously. And wouldn’t a guy like that be much more
attractive and interesting than one of the ‘safe’ but boring men?

Here is another angle to consider. Men don’t pay near enough attention
to the condition or presentation of themselves as they should.
Consider the condition of most men’s nails (hands and feet). Their
fingernails are usually freshly bitten (or too long), they trap
unhealthy dirt and grease under them, the cuticles are often rough
and torn, and calluses (on feet) are rough, hard and ugly. When a
man begins to take an interest in his nails, he takes better care of
them and does not tolerate the unclean and uncivilized look, making
himself more attractive in the process. And he doesn’t scratch the
hell out of you in bed!

The addition of a little color in an appropriate shade for men adds a touch
of class to his feet and helps make him appear as a more
interesting and expressive person. He gets noticed and attracts
attention. Others see him as open-minded and creative. And
another interesting thing happens in the process, he likes the feeling
of being less restrained and able to show his emotion in a
way that is fun and satisfying. He becomes a more likable and
‘emotional’ person, one that people like being around and having fun
with. Wearing polish on one’s fingernails is usually not as
practical for men since the treatment does not tend to last long with
the type of activities most men are engaged in, but many will
wear a layer of clear of a subtle French to keep their hands looking
neat and clean.

Well, interesting food for thought, isn’t it? There is a reason why nail
salons are catering to more male clients these days, and why sales
of men’s sandals have increased recently. Men are beginning to
understand that the old ways of appearing as stodgy, closed-minded
and ‘let’s not show any emotion’ kind of guys are fading. Women
want men who are more able to feel and share their deep feelings
with them. The man who recognizes this and understands that he
does not have to have a gray brick-wall front is finding out that life
has much more to offer than pretending he is something that he is
not.

I challenge you to take a ‘test drive’ of your new freedom. Schedule a
manicure and pedicure at your local spa, and prepare to enjoy an
experience that will make you feel relaxed and catered to. Polish or
no polish, you will enjoy the experience enough that you may even
go again. But, you’ll miss out on another exciting and pleasurable
part of the experience if you leave with your feet naked. Ask the
person providing you the service for a suggestion of what color
would look good on your feet. Starting with some color on your
toenails is a great way to become introduced to this new and exciting
phenomena and still retain some control over who you allow to see
your new ‘look’, until you are ready. And there are many polishes
that savvy nail polish companies market for men, in colors that are
masculine and appear attractive on men’s feet. I guarantee, it will
be an exciting and uplifting treat that you’ll want to experience again
before too long!


The author is an experienced nail polish wearer who discovered years ago
that a little color goes a long way. Use restraint in your color
choices until you are entirely dedicated, demand a quality
application, and be aware that having great-looking feet may cause
jealousy if they look better than your spouse’s!
Your mileage may vary.