Nail polish for men?

[annatomical]

I realize young children aren't the same as grown men... that said my two year-old son is in love with my nail polish.  He likes the toes on each foot on each foot painted a different colour and I think its adorable!  Today he insisted on Essie - Stylenomics on one foot and China Glaze - From Audrey on the other.  The way I see it is that he likes it and makes him feel special so why not?

 

[Polishisforboys]

I feel, in many ways, children are the same as grown adults, Annatomical. Perhaps they simply haven't had their enthusiasm and individuality beaten out of them yet. I liked nail polish as a child too, but I made a conscious decision not to let the world make me change what I was and how I felt. As a result, I am now 31 and about the only straight male who will wear any color polish I'd like. I'm wearing pink and platinum today. I'll post a pic /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

I'm very happy to hear you are so accepting of your son! Huzzah to you /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

When my dad found out I continued, against his demands, to wear nail polish and eye liner, he busted into my room, shaved my head, threw away my radio and all my music related clothing, and tore up all of my drawings and paintings that were hanging on my wall. But that didn't stop me. I just came up with the idea to use colorful electric tape that I would trim to the size of my nails, and could peel them off very quickly and easily before he could see! lol.You could barely tell it wasn't polish and I even had matte colors before they were really invented! Ah, the good old days. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[annatomical]

@Polishisforboys - It makes me really sad that your father behaved the way he did when you were growing up - that was totally uncalled for!  Children should be encouraged to explore different ideas and express themselves and themselves as individuals - I think they find it empowering and it gives them a sense of self.

 

[Monika1]

Quote: Originally Posted by annatomical /img/forum/go_quote.gif
  @Polishisforboys - It makes me really sad that your father behaved the way he did when you were growing up - that was totally uncalled for!  Children should be encouraged to explore different ideas and express themselves and themselves as individuals - I think they find it empowering and it gives them a sense of self.
@Polishisforboys, I agree that this was really sad to hear. For a father to do that to his child is really extreme and hurtful. I have to say that I am glad my hubby is actually more open than I am about a lot of things. But I also know there are many in our generation who are still absolutely rigid on what is and what is not acceptable, with a viewpoint various subjects that is about the same as what was held by the mainstream in the 50s. Sadly, there are some subjects you just cannot discuss with someone like that if you want to remain social, which also makes it very hard to move them on a position or connect with them. When choices on clothes and makeup can lead to violence toward men and women, it makes me wonder at people and how they can be so convinced they are the 'moral' ones.

We may all have our preferences, and sometimes parents/people may want their children/peers to conform in the interest of their well-being and success, but laissez-faire is much more moral than hurting someone because of a preference.

 

[paulie]

At least his father was there for him, as soon as my father knew my mother was expecting he left her and i have never seen him in my life, i do not even know what his name is so i doubt i ever will.

 

[Polishisforboys]

Depending on the person, Paulie, that may have been better. I think being raised by wolves would have been better for some people I know. 

 

[CaseyR]

Whether I present as male or female, I love using my nail polish collection.  For me, it's something fun that I've always enjoyed, and wish I started much further back in life.  Being a community organizer, I also consider it part of my "dressy" look whenever I attend functions or do any media-related events.  In regards to day-to-day reactions, I do feel that we have progressed somewhat from say a decade ago.  I remember in high school, I would get a lot of rude comments for how feminine or "girly" my nails looked as I preferred to keep them longer/cared for.  Through my experience in educating people on gender diversity in the non-profit sector, I find that today we still have a lot of rigid gender expectations for both men and women (here in Canada), but at the same time, people also don't seem to care as much (where I live anyway); people are slowly getting more used to stereotypes breaking. 

It's interesting too I find, as I will get male friends or acquaintances messaging me saying they'd like to try whatever I've posted photos of.  So in reality, there's probably many guys out there who would love to do their nails too if given half the chance or an opportunity.

 

[saycrackagain]

When I see someone dressed differently (except full-on presenting a gender), I am always worried that I'm being watched and judged by that person to see how well I prove my acceptance! In reality I usually don't feel like saying anything because it's all just average to me, but then I feel pressured to say something so I don't seem secretly judging. (As in, sometimes I'm just tired or in a bad mood or just don't care about it, period, and am worried the person is so focused on if I'm being accepting that it is taken the wrong way, so I force myself to compliment.) I feel this way because so often I have seen people get on someone's case for supposedly being horrible and judging when the person did nothing of the sort and the accuser was just super focused on whatever controversial issue (usually LGBTQ rights) and looking for something to take offense to. So if I saw your nails, I might even stare at them for a minute thinking about your cuticle maintenance or just be mesmerized by the colors, and not say anything, but it doesn't mean a darn thing. Or I might sigh and look to the side, and that still doesn't mean anything. Or I might force a grin and say, "I like that shade of blue," which is really just self-defense. @Paulie, consider yourself lucky. Some people have very abusive parents.

 

[CaseyR]

Quote: Originally Posted by saycrackagain /img/forum/go_quote.gif

When I see someone dressed differently (except full-on presenting a gender), I am always worried that I'm being watched and judged by that person to see how well I prove my acceptance! In reality I usually don't feel like saying anything because it's all just average to me, but then I feel pressured to say something so I don't seem secretly judging. (As in, sometimes I'm just tired or in a bad mood or just don't care about it, period, and am worried the person is so focused on if I'm being accepting that it is taken the wrong way, so I force myself to compliment.) I feel this way because so often I have seen people get on someone's case for supposedly being horrible and judging when the person did nothing of the sort and the accuser was just super focused on whatever controversial issue (usually LGBTQ rights) and looking for something to take offense to. So if I saw your nails, I might even stare at them for a minute thinking about your cuticle maintenance or just be mesmerized by the colors, and not say anything, but it doesn't mean a darn thing. Or I might sigh and look to the side, and that still doesn't mean anything. Or I might force a grin and say, "I like that shade of blue," which is really just self-defense.

@Paulie, consider yourself lucky. Some people have very abusive parents.
Whenever I go out with an alternative look with nail polish or what not, my philosophy has always been to just be positive and outgoing.  When people ask me if I have awkward moments from reactions, I often say they're only as awkward as I allow them to be.  I know that people may look, but I also assume that anyone's attention (including mine) may gravitate toward anyone who has a unique look of any kind, so I really try not to be too sensitive on things.  I know that sometimes I'll glance at someone and think they have a really interesting style, but also wonder if they think my reaction is the opposite.  With this said, I guess you could say that I try to give people the benefit of the doubt on the positive side (as opposed to the negative).  I've known a couple people who can be really abrasive (probably like you've mentioned), and I believe it's not good for anyone's well-being.  I just smile and be courteous to people, and I really encounter very few people looking for problems.  Anyway, those are just own my experiences in this area /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />