Long nails with ornaments such as pendants, stones and glitters are the trend of the moment, making the luxury market, fashion editorials and celebrities like Billie Eilish, Luísa Sonza, Rosalía and the Kardashians adopt the look. Ordinary women are also adept of nail extensions and spend around R$350 reais to execute the application. Despite the popularity, nail extensions have not had a good acceptance throughout their history.
In 1988, runner Flo-Jo broke the Olympic Games record by winning three gold and two silver medals. The athlete appeared in several broadcasts posing with her medals, evidencing the aesthetic element that was her trademark: long extended nails containing adornments.
The prejudice surrounding her hand ornaments was so great that she was criticized even when celebrating a historic feat.
The criticism of Flo-Jo's nails came about because it was a style that was part of the identity of black American women who lived in the outskirts of town in less-privileged areas, and therefore it was an aspect against the beauty standards of the time.
In the 1990s, American rappers used the grillz as an ostentatious accessory. Meanwhile, hip hop singers have made decorated nails the feminine symbol of ostentation. Lil' Kim, Missy Elliott and Mary J. Blige are some of the names that took to the stage with square nails and stone ornaments.
The sambistas Alcione and Elza Soares also chose the combination of lengthy, and adorned nails in the mid-1980s and 1990s, being the national inspiration for an aesthetic that went through the same process of marginalization, when it became part of the style of black women residing in the slums and in less-privileged areas in the outskirts of town.
The rise of black celebrities such as Beyoncé, Cardi B and Rihanna, landed nail extensions in the mainstream, inspiring many people. Just like braids, long nails have poor black origins that need to be given their due credit!
