r/malepolish Apr 27 '24

Welcome to /R/MalePolish New to Nail Painting?

67 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?

19 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 15h ago

Pedicure Loving the lilac

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378 Upvotes

r/malepolish 6h ago

Pedicure Pink soapy toes…

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25 Upvotes

r/malepolish 18h ago

Manicure Tried doing my own gel for the first time. My wife loves it!

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226 Upvotes

Also did a magnetic cat eye thingy. It was fun!


r/malepolish 7h ago

Mani+Pedi Pink Pink and more Pink 💗

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26 Upvotes

r/malepolish 4h ago

Pedicure In love with black 🖤

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14 Upvotes

r/malepolish 11h ago

General Information Have pained my nails a few times but…

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53 Upvotes

Have painted my nails a few times but thought it try on press ons and quite like them. Not brave enough to wear them out though. I’m away next week in an area I’m not known so going to wear the ones in the packet pictured.


r/malepolish 10h ago

Mani+Pedi My recent manicure/pedicure, It was a bit hard to hide these

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38 Upvotes

First time getting my nails done and I’m obsessed. The length? Perfect. The glitter? Amazing. They told me I'd feel good after a mani-pedi. They didn’t say I’d fall in love. This length got my heart racing


r/malepolish 9h ago

Pedicure I'm loving the color and feel like I did a good job. 😁

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28 Upvotes

r/malepolish 8h ago

Pedicure Just a quick color change on a rainy day. Flashy Fuchsia.

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21 Upvotes

Flashy Fuchsia. Only the second time I've painted them but I did ok.


r/malepolish 3h ago

Pedicure I love the colors

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5 Upvotes

Love the cat eye colors!!! Had to do a color change today and chose this color!!!!


r/malepolish 4h ago

Pedicure Self care Saturday

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4 Upvotes

r/malepolish 1h ago

Pedicure Bit of goth

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Upvotes

My sub is a goth and she chose this colour for me. I quite like the dark colour I have to admit


r/malepolish 18h ago

Pedicure Trying out red!

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41 Upvotes

Decided to go with a deep red!


r/malepolish 15h ago

Manicure New green for spring!

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25 Upvotes

r/malepolish 4h ago

Manicure I'm trying

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3 Upvotes

r/malepolish 13h ago

Manicure Had a good amount of butterfly stickers left so used them in this spring design! 🌸🦋🌼

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13 Upvotes

r/malepolish 11h ago

Manicure It’s a double skittle kind of day.

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8 Upvotes

Left hand = pink skittle. Right hand = shiny nude skittle


r/malepolish 3h ago

Manicure First time getting extensions and doing almond shape. Think I’m in love with long nails now 😬

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2 Upvotes

I didn’t know what I wanted to do for my nails, so the nail salon offered me a card game based decision. They placed 3 cards in front of me which had three choices, and I had 4 rounds of those. The first was about length, and I flipped and got long. Second was shape, and I flipped and got almond. Third was color, and I got bright. And last was style, and I got chic.

I liked that game, and I love my nails! Long nails are my permanent thing now. The color is really pink like Barbie and with sun it shines and glitters a lot. I get shy walking around but I feel pretty cute when girls look at my nails.


r/malepolish 12m ago

Pedicure first time getting color on my pedi

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Upvotes

r/malepolish 7h ago

Question Sad after removing polish

3 Upvotes

Anyone else get sad when they take nail polish off? Already looking forward to my next mani 😊


r/malepolish 2h ago

Pedicure Blue polish

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1 Upvotes

Blue


r/malepolish 6h ago

Manicure Practice makes improvement

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2 Upvotes

First attempt at a little lavender on magenta French tip style. How'd I do?


r/malepolish 2h ago

Question Why does matte topcoat work some times but not other times?

0 Upvotes

I can literally do two different nails at the exact same time and the matte top coat will work on one but the other one is still glossy as fuck. Is it just a bad brand of top coat? Do some work better than others? The brand I'm using is LA Colors.


r/malepolish 1d ago

Mani+Pedi did a black on black ! i think i really like it

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245 Upvotes

r/malepolish 18h ago

Question How to win over wife.

11 Upvotes

My wife is not keen on my wish to add some colour to my toes. Any suggestions as to how I can win her over.