Anonymous wrote:It's a matter of socio-economic class, rather than just money. Well-educated women in prestigious careers tend to have minimalist nails - clean, short, neutral colors. Occasionally a deep red, but only short nails. Long nails and fake nails are an absolute no! This cuts across race, btw. Women with a lot of money, but less education and in less prestigious lines of work may have their nails "done." Its flashy. The equivalent of a flashy LV bag. A conspicuous display.
Painted nails were a way of disguising dirty nails. If you didn't have to work with your hands, your nails were always clean and neat, hence no need for paint.

Anonymous wrote:Yes, they use nail polish but keep it neutral and don't get their nails "done." Trimming, filing and neutral polishing can all the done at home easily and you don't have to take time out of your busy life to sit in a nail salon surrounded by toxic fumes.

Anonymous wrote:I come from a culture where everyone gets their nails done just about every week and personal grooming/hygiene is very important. Generally, it’s always soft pastel pinks or neutrals on nails just long enough to support a French manicure.

Long nails and all the acrylic decorations are very low class. Rather it’s seen as how low class imagine classy people do nails. It’s a dead give away.

Anonymous wrote:I think that people who are truly classy don’t worry about things like this.

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Anonymous wrote:I think that people who are truly classy don’t worry about things like this.

People who have one iota of actual class NEVER use the term classy.

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Anonymous wrote:I am wealthy. I do my own nails, but only once in a while. When I feel like it. It has nothing to do with wealth. There are poor people who spend lots on gel and tips. You do you.

This^. Cashiers and receptionist sees to love long painted or fake nails.

This is due to high hand visibility and makes sense.
I have had pedicures once every couple of years when MC, UMC and now UC, so basically I always have naked nails. I have a few friends who get manis/pedis in the same income situation so I have not seen any correlation.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am wealthy. I do my own nails, but only once in a while. When I feel like it. It has nothing to do with wealth. There are poor people who spend lots on gel and tips. You do you.

This^. Cashiers and receptionist sees to love long painted or fake nails.

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Anonymous wrote:Nail polish screams LMC/WC to me. Nail polish is all about how you are perceived by others, and UMC/UC prefer to occupy themselves with things other than painting themselves for others' enjoyment/acceptance/amusement.

I actually can't think of anyone I know who wears nail polish regularly (except their wedding or other formal event) or plasters their face with makeup every day.

Last time I was having my poodle groomed, they offered to paint her nails at the salon. I was tempted but now I worry that this will make her look middle class. Does Caroline Kennedy have a poodle by any chance that we could consult to see if her nails are painted and what color? I should probably clarify that the poodle will be seen by those outside the family when I walk her around the neighborhood.

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Anonymous wrote:It’s also a trend thing. I do get my toenails painted but never my fingernails, it’s too high maintenance for me. I think because it’s so high maintenance it seems like it’s trying too hard and therefore isn’t cool. If you look at fashion people (look at the front row at fashion week) none of them have their nails done - just short, neat and buffed. According to that other thread I am squarely UMC.

As I said the other day, this "high maintenance" stuff is white women shit. I have never ever spent one minute of my day wondering if my grooming practices made other people think I was high maintenance.

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Anonymous wrote:My ILs are old money. My MIL and the other women on my wife's side of the family always have their nails done. Short, neat, with either a clear coat or a very faint pink coat. Never acrylics/gel. Fun colors are for toes and even then, toes are only seen by close family, never friends or the public.

They either get them done at a spa type place or a private tech comes to their homes. My MIL sent me several stern texts when she was watching my kids during an anniversary trip and my DD asked her to take her and her friend to get their nails down at the local nail place. I would have loved to have seen her face when the request was made! DD and her friend got spoiled as my MIL took them to the Ritz in Tyson's to get their nails done.

lol what? your mil never wears sandals or goes barefoot in public?

Nope! She'll wear an open back heel or shoe in the spring and summer. Other than that, sandals are reserved for when on vacation at the beach house. She also never goes barefoot in their house. She's always in flats or a loafer of some sort.

I like to go barefoot just to mess with her a bit. My rebellion, if you will, because it makes her so uncomfortable.

Are you going bare foot in her home and she has a lot of oriental rugs, by any chance? Our rug cleaner has told us not to go barefoot on orientals because sweat and skin oils from the feet can be bad for the fibers.