Queer manicure: Difference between revisions

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A lesbian manicure (also known as queer manicure, lesbian nails, femmicure etc.)^[a]) is a style or trend of manicure intended to allow lesbians and other queer people in the LGBT community to safely and easily perform digital penetration during sex. The most distinct and modern form of the manicure entails long nail extensions on every finger apart from the index finger, middle finger, and sometimes thumb of the dominant hand, thus preventing injury or discomfort to the vulva or vagina during intercourse while otherwise maintaining the fashion of long acrylic nails in one's daily life. The style is often seen as a public expression or symbol of lesbian identity, particularly on the femme side of the femme–butch spectrum,^[1] while manicure and nail art are more broadly seen as a recurring topic across the community and are frequently seen in spaces such as the drag subculture.^[2]

History and culture

The lesbian community has historically been closely associated with unilaterally short nails,^[1] such that a 2018 poll by the queer women's website Autostraddle found that 95% of respondents wore short nails,^[3] and the length of a woman's nails was sometimes associated in popular culture as a factor in "gaydar".^[4] Lesbian women have sometimes described studying a woman's hands, nails, or fingers to evaluate them as a potential partner.^[2]^[1]

The portrayal of short nails as a "standard" among queer women^[5] was popularized by works of queer fiction like The L Word,^[4]^[6] though this is sometimes considered a stereotype.^[1] The combination of differing nail lengths arose as a compromise between an aesthetic preference for long, sharp nails, particularly among femme lesbians, and the practicality of using the index and middle fingers, nicknamed the "party fingers", for vaginal penetration during intercourse between cisgender women.^[4]^[6] Both shorter nails overall and the 'party fingers' style of manicure have become symbols of lesbian pride or a form of mutual identification between queer women in public.^[6]^[5]

The style and its significance to the lesbian community was praised in the Los Angeles Times, but it also included a warning by Canadian writer Kinsey Clarke, who wears the style herself, against centering more affluent white women when discussing symbols of lesbian culture.^[2] Other proponents of the manicure include Mina Q, a Los Angeles stand-up performer, and Natalie Minerva, a professional nail artist for HBO's Euphoria responsible for the middle-and-index style sported by star Barbie Ferreira.^[2] A writer for Allure also spoke of her favorable experience with the sex positivity surrounding the manicure and its growing visibility.^[7]

Notes

^ From the LGBT slang terms queer and femme respectively.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Wallace, Megan. "Lez nails: Is the 'queer woman with short nails' an outdated stereotype?" Archived 27 June 2024 at the Wayback Machine, Dazed Beauty, 17 October 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Thompson, Martine. "Cheers to the Queer Manicure" Archived 27 June 2024 at the Wayback Machine, Los Angeles Times, 22 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
^ Bernard, Riese (18 February 2019). "95% of Lesbians Keep Their Fingernails Short, All Hands On Deck". Autostraddle.
^ ^a ^b ^c Strapagiel, Lauren. "I Used to Think Being a Lesbian Meant Giving Up My Love of Long Nails" Archived 27 June 2024 at the Wayback Machine, Fashion, 15 August 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
^ ^a ^b Dupere, Katie. "I Am A Queer Women Who Loves Fake Nails & No, I Won't Take Them Off During Sex" Archived 27 June 2024 at the Wayback Machine, Bustle, 10 April 2018.
^ ^a ^b ^c Preston, Devon. "Meet the Femmicure: Where Queer Nail Art Meets Functionality" Archived 27 June 2024 at the Wayback Machine, PopSugar, 18 August 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
^ Wax, Shelby. "5 Queer People on How They Learned the "Nail Code"" Archived 27 June 2024 at the Wayback Machine, Allure, 14 September 2023.

[1] From the LGBT slang terms queer and femme respectively.

[Dazed-2] Wallace, Megan. "Lez nails: Is the 'queer woman with short nails' an outdated stereotype?" Archived 27 June 2024 at the Wayback Machine, Dazed Beauty, 17 October 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2024.

[LATimes-3] Thompson, Martine. "Cheers to the Queer Manicure" Archived 27 June 2024 at the Wayback Machine, Los Angeles Times, 22 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2024.

[4] Bernard, Riese (18 February 2019). "95% of Lesbians Keep Their Fingernails Short, All Hands On Deck". Autostraddle.

[Fashion-5] Strapagiel, Lauren. "I Used to Think Being a Lesbian Meant Giving Up My Love of Long Nails" Archived 27 June 2024 at the Wayback Machine, Fashion, 15 August 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2024.

[Bustle-6] Dupere, Katie. "I Am A Queer Women Who Loves Fake Nails & No, I Won't Take Them Off During Sex" Archived 27 June 2024 at the Wayback Machine, Bustle, 10 April 2018.

[PS-7] Preston, Devon. "Meet the Femmicure: Where Queer Nail Art Meets Functionality" Archived 27 June 2024 at the Wayback Machine, PopSugar, 18 August 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2024.

[8] Wax, Shelby. "5 Queer People on How They Learned the "Nail Code"" Archived 27 June 2024 at the Wayback Machine, Allure, 14 September 2023.

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+{{Short description|Fashion of manicure}}
-{{AfC submission|t||ts=20240627191412|u=Orchastrattor|ns=118|demo=}}<!-- Important, do not remove this line before article has been created. -->
+[[File:Queer manicure example.jpg|thumb|An example of a queer manicure (right-handed)]]
+{{LGBT symbols}}
+{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
-'''Lesbian manicure''', also known as '''queer manicure''', '''"lez nails"''', '''"femmicure"''',{{efn|from the [[LGBT slang]] terms ''[[queer]]'', ''lez'', and ''[[Femme and butch|femme]]'' respectively}} etc., is a style or trend of [[manicure]] in the [[LGBT community]], intended to allow [[lesbian]] women or other queer people to safely and easily perform [[digital penetration]] during sex. The modern form of the manicure entails long [[nail extension]]s on every finger apart from the [[index finger]], [[middle finger]], and sometimes [[thumb]] of the [[dominant hand]], thus preventing injury or discomfort to the [[vulva]] or [[vagina]] during intercourse while otherwise maintaining the fashion of long acrylic nails in one's daily life. The style is often seen as a public expression or symbol of a lesbian identity, particularly on the ''femme'' side of the [[Butch and femme|femme-butch spectrum]],<ref name=Dazed>Wallace, Megan. [https://www.dazeddigital.com/beauty/article/57211/1/lez-nails-is-the-queer-woman-with-short-nails-an-outdated-stereotype "Lez nails: Is the ‘queer woman with short nails’ an outdated stereotype?",] ''Dazed'' Beauty, 17 October 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2024.</ref> while manicure and [[nail art]] are more broadly seen as a recurring topic across the community and are frequently seen in spaces such as the [[drag subculture]].<ref name=LA>Thompson, Martine. [https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2022-06-22/what-is-a-queer-manicure-lesbian-manicure "Cheers to the Queer Manicure",] ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', 22 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2024.</ref>
+A '''lesbian manicure''' (also known as '''queer manicure''', '''lesbian nails''', '''femmicure''' etc.){{efn|From the [[LGBT slang]] terms ''[[queer]]'' and ''[[Femme and butch|femme]]'' respectively.}}) is a style or trend of [[manicure]] intended to allow [[lesbian]]s and other queer people in the [[LGBT community]] to safely and easily perform [[digital penetration]] during sex. The most distinct and modern form of the manicure entails long [[nail extension]]s on every finger apart from the [[index finger]], [[middle finger]], and sometimes [[thumb]] of the [[dominant hand]], thus preventing injury or discomfort to the [[vulva]] or [[vagina]] during intercourse while otherwise maintaining the fashion of long acrylic nails in one's daily life. The style is often seen as a public expression or symbol of lesbian identity, particularly on the ''femme'' side of the [[Butch and femme|femme–butch spectrum]],<ref name=Dazed>Wallace, Megan. [https://www.dazeddigital.com/beauty/article/57211/1/lez-nails-is-the-queer-woman-with-short-nails-an-outdated-stereotype "Lez nails: Is the 'queer woman with short nails' an outdated stereotype?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627195950/https://www.dazeddigital.com/beauty/article/57211/1/lez-nails-is-the-queer-woman-with-short-nails-an-outdated-stereotype |date=27 June 2024 }}, ''Dazed'' Beauty, 17 October 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2024.</ref> while manicure and [[nail art]] are more broadly seen as a recurring topic across the community and are frequently seen in spaces such as the [[drag subculture]].<ref name=LATimes>Thompson, Martine. [https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2022-06-22/what-is-a-queer-manicure-lesbian-manicure "Cheers to the Queer Manicure"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627195947/https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2022-06-22/what-is-a-queer-manicure-lesbian-manicure |date=27 June 2024 }}, ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', 22 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2024.</ref>
 == History and culture ==
-The lesbian community has historically been closely associated with unilaterally short nails,<ref name=Dazed/> such that a poll by the queer women's magazine ''[[Autostraddle]]'' found that 95% of respondents wore short nails, and the length of a woman's nails was sometimes associated in popular culture as a factor in "[[gaydar]]".<ref name=Fashion>Strapagiel, Lauren. [https://fashionmagazine.com/flare/lesbian-nails-culture/ "I Used to Think Being a Lesbian Meant Giving Up My Love of Long Nails",] [[Fashion (magazine)|''Fashion'' Magazine]], 15 August, 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2024.</ref> Lesbian women have sometimes described studying a woman's hands, nails, or fingers to evaluate them as a potential partner.<ref name=LA/><ref name=Dazed/>
+The lesbian community has historically been closely associated with unilaterally short nails,<ref name=Dazed/> such that a 2018 poll by the queer women's website ''[[Autostraddle]]'' found that 95% of respondents wore short nails,<ref>{{cite web |first=Riese |last=Bernard |title=95% of Lesbians Keep Their Fingernails Short, All Hands On Deck |website=Autostraddle |date=2019-02-18 |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/95-of-lesbians-keep-their-fingernails-short-448710/}}</ref> and the length of a woman's nails was sometimes associated in popular culture as a factor in "[[gaydar]]".<ref name=Fashion>Strapagiel, Lauren. [https://fashionmagazine.com/flare/lesbian-nails-culture/ "I Used to Think Being a Lesbian Meant Giving Up My Love of Long Nails"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627195948/https://fashionmagazine.com/flare/lesbian-nails-culture/ |date=27 June 2024 }}, [[Fashion (magazine)|''Fashion'']], 15 August 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2024.</ref> Lesbian women have sometimes described studying a woman's hands, nails, or fingers to evaluate them as a potential partner.<ref name=LATimes/><ref name=Dazed/>
-Short nails have been widely considered as a "standard" among queer women<ref name=Bustle>Dupere, Katie. [https://www.bustle.com/p/queer-women-who-love-fake-nails-exist-yes-you-can-still-have-sex-with-us-8368378 "I Am A Queer Women Who Loves Fake Nails & No, I Won't Take Them Off During Sex",] ''[[Bustle (website)|Bustle]]'', 10 April 2018.</ref> popularized by works of [[queer fiction]] like ''[[The L Word]]'',<ref name=Fashion/><ref name=PS>Preston, Devon. [https://www.popsugar.com/beauty/lesbian-nails-48918040 "Meet the Femmicure: Where Queer Nail Art Meets Functionality",] ''[[PopSugar]]'', 18 August 2022.</ref> though this is sometimes considered a [[stereotype]].<ref name=Dazed/> The combination of differing nail lengths arose as a compromise between an aesthetic preference for long, sharp nails, particularly among femme lesbians, and the practicality of using the index and middle fingers, nicknamed the "party fingers", for vaginal penetration during intercourse between cisgender women.<ref name=Fashion/><ref name=PS/> Both shorter nails overall and the 'party fingers' style of manicure have become symbols of lesbian pride or a form of mutual identification between queer women in public.<ref name=PS/><ref name=Bustle/>
+The portrayal of short nails as a "standard" among queer women<ref name=Bustle>Dupere, Katie. [https://www.bustle.com/p/queer-women-who-love-fake-nails-exist-yes-you-can-still-have-sex-with-us-8368378 "I Am A Queer Women Who Loves Fake Nails & No, I Won't Take Them Off During Sex"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627202814/https://www.bustle.com/p/queer-women-who-love-fake-nails-exist-yes-you-can-still-have-sex-with-us-8368378 |date=27 June 2024 }}, ''[[Bustle (website)|Bustle]]'', 10 April 2018.</ref> was popularized by works of [[LGBT literature|queer fiction]] like ''[[The L Word]]'',<ref name=Fashion/><ref name=PS>Preston, Devon. [https://www.popsugar.com/beauty/lesbian-nails-48918040 "Meet the Femmicure: Where Queer Nail Art Meets Functionality"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627202814/https://www.popsugar.com/beauty/lesbian-nails-48918040 |date=27 June 2024 }}, ''[[PopSugar]]'', 18 August 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2024.</ref> though this is sometimes considered a [[stereotype]].<ref name=Dazed/> The combination of differing nail lengths arose as a compromise between an aesthetic preference for long, sharp nails, particularly among [[femme]] lesbians, and the practicality of using the index and middle fingers, nicknamed the "party fingers", for vaginal penetration during intercourse between cisgender women.<ref name=Fashion/><ref name=PS/> Both shorter nails overall and the 'party fingers' style of manicure have become symbols of lesbian pride or a form of mutual identification between queer women in public.<ref name=PS/><ref name=Bustle/>
-The ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' praised the style and its significance to the lesbian community, but quoted Canadian writer Kinsey Clarke, who wears the style herself, in warning against centering more affluent white women when discussing symbols of lesbian culture. Other proponents of the manicure include Mina Q, a Los Angeles stand-up performer, and Natalie Minerva, professional nail artist for ''[[Euphoria (American TV series)|Euphoria]]'' responsible for the middle-and-index style sported by [[Barbie Ferreira]]'s character of Kat Hernandez.<ref name=LA/> A writer for ''[[Allure (magazine)|Allure]]'' also spoke of her favorable experience with the [[sex positivity]] surrounding the manicure and its growing visibility.<ref>Wax, Shelby. [https://www.allure.com/story/nail-length-queer-identity "5 Queer People on How They Learned the "Nail Code"",] ''Allure'', 14 September 2023.</ref>
+The style and its significance to the lesbian community was praised in the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', but it also included a warning by Canadian writer Kinsey Clarke, who wears the style herself, against centering more affluent white women when discussing symbols of lesbian culture.<ref name=LATimes/> Other proponents of the manicure include Mina Q, a Los Angeles stand-up performer, and Natalie Minerva, a professional nail artist for HBO's ''[[Euphoria (American TV series)|Euphoria]]'' responsible for the middle-and-index style sported by star [[Barbie Ferreira]].<ref name=LATimes/> A writer for ''[[Allure (magazine)|Allure]]'' also spoke of her favorable experience with the [[sex positivity]] surrounding the manicure and its growing visibility.<ref>Wax, Shelby. [https://www.allure.com/story/nail-length-queer-identity "5 Queer People on How They Learned the "Nail Code""] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627222756/https://www.allure.com/story/nail-length-queer-identity |date=27 June 2024 }}, ''Allure'', 14 September 2023.</ref>
-== References ==
+== See also ==
+* [[Lipstick lesbian]]
-<!-- Inline citations added to your article will automatically display here. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:REFB for instructions on how to add citations. -->
+* [[LGBT symbols]]
+** [[Pride flag]]s, often used as a basis for queer nail art
+* [[Handkerchief code]]
+==Notes==
 {{notelist}}
+== References ==
 {{reflist}}
+[[Category:Lesbian culture]]
+[[Category:Nail care]]
+[[Category:Female masturbation]]
+[[Category:Manual sex]]
+[[Category:LGBT fashion]]