In 1966 Donyale Luna was the first Black woman to slay the cover of British Vogue, sporting long shiny acrylic nails. Olympic gold medalist Florence Griffith-Joyner sprinted across finish lines rocking brightly colored six-inch nails.
Hip-hop artists like Missy Elliot and Lil Kim turned heads with their loud fashions, including intricate nail art. Bernadette Thompson designed Lil Kim’s iconic “Money Manicure.”
Working cut pieces of real $100 bills into the nail design, Thompson attracted the notice of the U.S. Treasury, warning her that defacing the currency was against the law. But that didn’t stop her creative brilliance. In 2017, “Money Manicure” went on display in the Museum of Modern Art.
Anti-Blackness historically depicted short, polished, manicured nails as classy, educated, and pure. Long, bright, acrylic nails were seen as “ghetto” and a sign of the wearer’s sexual promiscuity.
This depiction was a strategic attack on Black women, which is ironic since whitewashed culture vultures continue to profit from our Black cultural aesthetics, especially those worn by women, femmes, and our LGBTQIA+ community. But to paraphrase Missy Elliot, our style can't be duplicated or recycled.
Our nail game is about more than serving “lewks.” Every inch, color, and bedazzlement serves as adornment. It’s one more weapon in our ongoing fight against anti-Blackness.
How we adorn ourselves is a statement saying our culture, pride, beauty, and creativity can never be erased.