In the July|August issue of Irish Country Magazine, our beauty feature, “Bold or Bare,” explores the bare-nail movement.
This piece offers a glimpse from one of the women who spoke to us about choosing to wear nails left natural.
Having nails done or not is a personal choice. In recent times, it also seems to carry social significance. There is more discussion now than ever about what painted nails or bare nails say about a person, with a large number of people turning away from manicures and embracing the natural look. Irish broadcaster Angela Scanlon’s Substack essay titled “Bare nails are my quiet rebellion” describes how, after years of regularly maintaining her nails, she questioned the reason behind it, asking herself, “why?”
“It slipped into the same mental category as brushing your teeth or owning a decent coat—which isn’t optional, isn’t expressive, just expected,” she writes. “I found myself under a lamp and spending two hours of my life every two weeks on something that didn’t give me anything other than a bit of frustration.”
Another Irish woman content to opt out of the nail-appointment hamster wheel is 57-year-old Marie Fay, who says she has worn bare nails for most of her life, never feeling the need to coat them with polish or gel. “I’ve always had natural nails, except for my wedding day 29 years ago, and a few times for fun with my daughter when she was 12 (that’s ten years ago now).”
“I don’t like the feeling of paint on my nails; it’s probably because I’m so used to having them bare for so long. I’m also embracing my natural silver hair for the last six years, and I prefer using natural beauty products, so keeping things natural feels like a continuing thread in my life.”
“I love fashion, and it’s wonderful to feel good and look nice, and it makes me truly happy to present myself in my natural beauty—which includes my nails,” Marie concludes.
Nevertheless, choosing to have your nails done can also function as an expression of your personal style, or as a form of self-care, as other Irish women we spoke to highlighted in the feature.
To read the full piece and hear everyone’s viewpoints, pick up the July|August issue of Irish Country Magazine on shelves now. Find your nearest stockist here, or subscribe to ensure you never miss an issue by clicking here.
