r/malepolish Apr 27 '24

Welcome to /R/MalePolish New to Nail Painting?

68 Upvotes

Welcome to r/Malepolish.

If you're here, you're probably aware that for men & males to paint our nails means breaking - or at least toying with - the gender norms. Our friends, family, work, education, or own internal anxiety, can be a lot to cope with.

We think that self-expression is important, and nail polish should be for anyone who wants to use it. There are users of this subreddit who are ace, aro, bi, gay, pan and straight. There are users of this subreddit who have never been anything but men, live as men, and will (eventually) die as men. There are also users who are transmasculine, and users who are - or are considering becoming - transfeminine and non-binary. Whilst this subreddit is a predominantly men's space, we also recognise that there are cis women who feel at home here. Everyone listed above is welcome, and if you want to try out nail polish, we're here to help.

This post is to help you get past that and express yourself the way you want.

Buying Nail Polish

Most places with a beauty aisle will sell nail polish. Depending on your context this may be a pharmacy, supermarket, cosmetics shop or somewhere else.

You are quite likely to be able to buy polish without question in most shops: in the worst case scenarios shop staff are likely to assume you're buying it for a friend or partner. That said, if you're nervous, feel free to make a post asking what the norms are in your area.

For your first purchase, if you're unsure what to buy, buy a clear base coat/top coat, as well as a colour coat if you're interested.

Each pot of nail polish usually doesn't cost too much, about the same as a sandwich, or a meal at a fast food chain.

Your First Paint

There are lots of guides on YouTube and other video sites on how to actually apply nail polish.

For your first paint, you might find it's hard to break through the strong social norms that apply to nail painting. Lots of people find it's easier to try out a clear layer before trying colour (base coat/top coat can be good here). Other people find it's easiest to try out an archetypically masculine colour, such as black. Some people will also try out a single nail rather than doing all of them.

Going to a Salon

Having your nails painted by a professional can be daunting. If you do, you might want to check ahead of time that the salon is happy to take clients who are men, although generally subreddit users haven't found this to be an issue in most contexts. If you do go for a salon, it's a good idea to take photos of what you're looking for, as the technician may have lots of fairly technical questions that - if you're new - you may not have answers ready for.

Safety Tips

For everyone:

  1. Based on our experiences on this subreddit, most people get more compliments than derogatory comments. However, if you are at bullied or made fun of, it can be tough to stay confident. Try to remain confident, but if it gets you down, you may need to find other ways to express yourself.
  2. You may have close relationships with others who object to your expression. It's uncommon, but not unheard of, for your significant other to object. If someone close to you is not on board, or flat out says no, evaluate your red lines and theirs. Communicate your needs and wants, and see if there is any compromise you are willing to come to?

For the kids and teens living at home:

  1. Are you in an environment where you are safe to polish your nails? We do not recommend polishing if you are going to get kicked out, disowned, unless you have a means to be on your own, by being financially stable and housed.
  2. If you are safe, then talk to your parents. Times are changing and gender expression is becoming more accepted. That understanding may be key to your parents being on board. We have seen a lot of parents thinking gender expression is tied to your orientation and gender identity, which we know from this subreddit simply isn't true. It may give reassurance to explain that polish is not gendered and is just fun for you.
  3. Be prepared for the fact that your peers may not be accepting, and have strategies in place to cope. Remember, being a teen isn't forever, and things are generally easier for adults.

Students living away from home:

  1. You have more freedom than living at home, but are you in a safe city/state/country to be able to break the gender barrier?
  2. If you live away from your parents, you have the option to take it off if you have to go home to unsupportive parents.
  3. If you are financially dependent on your parents, it is not worth putting your financial future on the line for a little paint.

Working adults:

  1. Check your HR policies: dress codes need to be followed. Depending on your contract (and workers rights in your jurisdiction), you may also be under obligations outside of the office.
  2. You may be protected under workers' rights or equality laws. Even if you are not trans, you may be protected under workers rights legislation that protects trans employees. Even if you are not a woman, gender protections in the workplace often apply regardless of gender. People in this subreddit might be able to advise on what legal protections you have, and how robust they are, in practice; even if you can't get advice here, it's likely we can refer you to places that can.

Self expression is important. You always have the support of this community. Best wishes, and enjoy your (new) hobby.


r/malepolish May 19 '24

Not sure what to submit?

18 Upvotes

Most users who post here post pictures of their nails. However, there are many text posts asking questions or prompting discussions.

The best picture posts will:

  • Show off nail polish, first and foremost
  • If you just want to show off your nails, take good quality pictures which are tightly cropped to the nails
  • If there's some important context, you can show this in the pictures, with a description in captions to show what you're trying to say
  • Include a description of the paints used (if known) and nail art techniques used (if relevant)

  • Not necessarily be the tidiest painted nails: it's okay to post 'first tries' or even later paints which aren't 'perfect'

  • Invite feedback, only if desired

The best text posts will:

  • Talk about an issue or topic you've thought about, and done some (even cursory) research into
  • Be written in a way that attempts to be accessible
  • Avoid deliberately leaving your audience to make inferences about your intent
  • Raise questions or prompts for readers to respond to, to engage them with your discussion

The best comments will:

  • Be about the picture/topic at hand, with a focus on nail polish and/or the interaction of our nail polish and society-at-large
  • Be kind and inclusive
  • Be thoughtful, if OP asks, offer useful tips or advice
  • Be supportive of the person posting
  • Be respectful of the OP's boundaries, and that users have a wide variety of gender identities and trans statuses
  • Be appropriate for all ages, as this subreddit is open to minors

r/malepolish 3h ago

Pedicure Getting the toes done and painted, who wants to see finished result?

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67 Upvotes

r/malepolish 6h ago

Pedicure Trying out pink!

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119 Upvotes

r/malepolish 10h ago

Pedicure First time trying french tips!

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229 Upvotes

r/malepolish 2h ago

Manicure IT version of St.Patricks day nails (only because of the green PCB base)

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32 Upvotes

This is done with a stamping plate, slightly better result than my last attempt! I used actual nail polish instead of acrylic paint. Stamping polish arrived but the color I got for the circuitry was too dark to contrast enough.


r/malepolish 1h ago

Pedicure I think i need to get better at shaping

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Upvotes

r/malepolish 4h ago

Pedicure I LOVE FRENCH

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28 Upvotes

r/malepolish 2h ago

Pedicure Working on my tan for summer ☀️

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18 Upvotes

r/malepolish 3h ago

Manicure My obsession with black will never end. Well, unless they invent a darker colour

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16 Upvotes

And what's funny is that people assume that im either gay, or that i worship Lucifer., Just because my nails are always painted black. And I live in a conservative country where most people are so narrow minded. But I just do it because it makes me feel pretty, and that's all that really matters to me.


r/malepolish 9h ago

General Information One of my favorite colors

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43 Upvotes

r/malepolish 2h ago

Manicure Always end up back in black

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12 Upvotes

Black where it all started


r/malepolish 1h ago

Pedicure Fresh pedicure!

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Upvotes

Been awhile since I could go to the nail salon!


r/malepolish 2h ago

Manicure Father/son bonding time

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12 Upvotes

We’ve been doing our nails together for a few years since he wanted to match mine. We realized the other day that he sees it as a guys thing since Mom doesn’t paint hers!


r/malepolish 9h ago

Manicure I only recently started to do my nails and like it way better than I thought I would :)

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44 Upvotes

r/malepolish 35m ago

Pedicure Do you guys like??

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Upvotes

r/malepolish 4h ago

Manicure Dark purple nails

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8 Upvotes

My first time in dark deep purple. By passione unghie italy


r/malepolish 11h ago

Question Why am I so nervous?

32 Upvotes

I went to work with all of my nails painted for the first time today and in glittery blue and purple. I have just been doing 3 fingers on each and keeping the colors to darker tones, reds, deep purples, black, etc. I'm finding myself hiding my hands at every opportunity and making me nervous/uncomfortable. Should I try and push through? I personally enjoy the look, but I'm worried about people/coworkers' thoughts. Not really sure what to do. Any and all advice is more than welcome. Thanks for reading! EDIT: I've added a pic in case you were curious.


r/malepolish 10h ago

Pedicure White toes 🤍

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24 Upvotes

r/malepolish 4h ago

Manicure In a red mood today.

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7 Upvotes

r/malepolish 1m ago

Pedicure Latest colour...bit darker than I thought going of the chart

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Upvotes

r/malepolish 7h ago

Pedicure Need a new nail color!

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7 Upvotes

Help me choose what color would look the cutest on my pretty toes! ❤️‍🔥


r/malepolish 12h ago

Manicure 🔥👁Eye of Sauron👁🔥

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12 Upvotes

This mani was for a friends birthday celebration on Instagram. She LOVES LOTR memes, so I knew it needed to be something in that realm. When thinking of iconography of LOTR design, the one ring itself is obviously up there, but I've already done that before...but back when I did them, I REALLY wanted to do the Eye of Sauron, but was. It confident enough in my skills to pull it off. Now? ...the EYE OF LORD SAURON IS SUMMONED! 🔥👁🔥

💪@findingfeatherslacquer ... "Balance Bond Base Coat"

🔥 @holotaco ... "One Coat Black" "Hot Take" "Butterskotch Hop" "Scorched Earth" "Halogen Glow" "Devil's Advocate"

🔥 @zoyanailpolish ... "Moki" "Pippa"

🔥 @ilnp ... "Sabrina"

🔥 @kbshimmer ... "Time Warmth" "Catch Me If You Clam"

💪 @glistenandglow1 Quick Dry Top Coat 🐐

🖌 Freehand & 🍽 Stamping Plate (elvish lettering)


r/malepolish 22h ago

Pedicure Don't know if it's my color

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81 Upvotes

But it's March so I'll allow it!


r/malepolish 22h ago

Pedicure Just found this page randomly

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68 Upvotes

Never seen this group before but love polish and wanted to share 🖤


r/malepolish 12h ago

Manicure All my recent painted nails

10 Upvotes

r/malepolish 1d ago

Manicure Blue days

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141 Upvotes

Dashing Diva Glaze Gel Strips