Hands rarely lie.
They tell us, present us and express a thousand things.
In ancient Egypt, queens like Nefertiti and Cleopatra dyed their fingernails with henna to exert sexual attraction and signify fertility.
In China around 3000 BC, the first nail polishes were worn as an indicator of class – the upper echelons of society painted their fingernails red, while others were limited to pale colors.
Around the same time, the Babylonians showed off 15 cm long fingernails painted with kohl to impress the enemy before a battle.
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A few millennia later, nail art is imposing itself around us almost like war paint, at the fingertips of Generation Z. In selfies on Instagram, in the street or in diners in town, we observe a curious trend : excessively long, square or pointed nails, with an aggressive and daring shape that does not go unnoticed.
Nail stylists call them stilettos, and they live up to their name.
The American singer Beyoncé appears regularly with bright red nails cut to a point like the heels of her pumps... A fundamentally sharp ultra-femininity.
An aesthetic claim
Cara Delevingne and Cardi B are fans of stiletto nails and show them off with dark polishes or neon shades.
Kylie Jenner has them trimmed and decorated by the famous nail stylist Chaun Legend… The phenomenon is now global, and young European music stars are also sporting these nail trends with a message: Angèle alternates cheerful manicures adorned with emojis – “ to give you the “smile” – and “ballerina” nails – long with a sharp point at the top, like ballet slippers.
"We have the right to be multiple," says the Belgian singer.
We can be feminine and feminist, femme fatale and/or nature.
"For Billie Eilish, "it's a colorful way to show that we have claws and that we know how to defend ourselves.
Nail stylists have become stars in their own right, and countless women insist that manicures are more than a frivolity, but a form of self-care.
: “This nail art is an affirmation”, advances the sociologist Georges Lewi, author of
Generation Z, instructions for use (
Éditions Vuibert
)
.
“The stilettos are reminiscent of the claws of the goddess Artemis or those of characters from Marvel comics.
They look like both knives and talons, but are harmless.
In addition, nail art allows you to belong to a community, which is very important for young people.
Each hand is unique, it is a work of art in itself, which means highlighting its difference.”
Show openness
Leafing through the book
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, by Oshiro Tomoyuki (Éditions Eyrolles), with her creations with evocative names - Galactic Woman, Queen of Egypt or Sophisticated Lady -, we are far from those advertisements of the 1950s, where a stereotypical stay-at-home mother removed, from a gesture, the plastic glove that he had used to do the dishes and revealed a perfect hand with lacquered red fingernails.
“The young women who come to see me, influencers, but not only, have a different color on each finger and shapes in stilettos”, testifies Valérie Leduc, Parisian aesthetic doctor.
“They have fun, create.
Their hands are freer, because they are freer themselves.
They take a lot of selfies with their hands and take extremely good care of them.
Beauty is not limited to the face, the buttocks or the neckline.
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In Paris, the NS Xperience institute, with its trendy salons located in the 8th and 16th arrondissements, is one of the hottest spots for nail art.
Marine, 20, a literature student, goes there regularly for her nude-colored stilettos with a black half-moon: "Until now, this nail shape was associated with vulgarity, but it's no longer the case," she said.
Among the names of the institute's loyal clients is that of the singer Aya Nakamura, author of the
hit Djadja
.
“Our clientele ranges from lawyers to influencers,” says Sarah Yinda, founder of the institute with her sister, Nina.
“Women are pushing the slider further and further.
The novelty is that they dare the length: they wear extensions of 3 to 5 cm.
It's not practical at first, but you get used to it…like wearing high heels.”
For the nail artist, it's more than just a fad.
These nail shapes are symbolic of a seasoned woman, but also of an open-mindedness that characterizes the younger generations: "They escape social or racial categorization."
When the nail is political
These extensions reflect a style steeped in the noir aesthetics of soul and rap.
“I discovered the first nail art institutes in London,” says beauty entrepreneur Sharmadean Reid, who launched an avant-garde nail bar in East London in 2009, the WAH.
"The first thing I noticed were those long, bling-bling fingernails that I knew were the preserve of rap stars, like Missy Elliott and Lil' Kim, and other Jamaican women I saw in the streets of Brixton.
I felt a certain amazement when I realized that a trend sometimes considered “ghetto” and unrefined when worn by black women was becoming consensual on white women.
But the main thing is that fashion brings us all together, without forgetting its genesis.”
Sharp nails can then be seen as an instrument of sound creation
Victoire de Castellane, artistic director of Dior Joaillerie
From Donyale Luna, the first woman of color to appear on the cover of
Vogue
, to Janet Jackson, in the futuristic video
What's it Gonna Be?,
from Busta Rhymes, African-American artists have been at the forefront of the cultural emergence of nail art.
"Adorned with flamboyant and outrageous jewelry, they helped create a look that expressed the rebellion of black women against the injunction to stay away from celebrity", decrypts the queen of neosoul, Erykah Badu, who has claw-shaped nails are elevated to art.
As early as the 1990s, the singer made it a vector of social codes and introduced a trend - nail ornaments - which are all the rage today.
In her clips, the diva wore stilettos adorned with stone encrustations or enhanced with jewels.
“I dress up my nails, I have graphics inspired by chakras drawn on them, or letters which, each on a finger,
Travel at your fingertips
Today, the extreme nail has become the ultimate detail to show your audacity and stand out: pop colours, kitsch or 3D designs, creations by goldsmiths… anything goes.
“When I was a child, I watched women of my mother's generation wear long, polished nails.
They were often idle, obsessed with the fear that their varnish would peel off”, testifies the artistic director of Dior Joaillerie, Victoire de Castellane.
“Today, girls who play with nail art are dynamic and hardworking.
They are anti-bourgeoises who have fun subverting codes, playing the ultra-feminine card.
What amuses me is the discrepancy between an exaggerated nail jewel, which sounds almost fake, and a very cool and streetwear clothing side.
The women who
The designer also highlights the inclination of the stiletto nail as a vector of access to the virtual world: “It's interesting to imagine the nail as an extension of oneself, she says.
I am fascinated by this generation which lives part of its life on the Internet, lights up in front of an NFT (
digital work of art, editor's note
) and experiences sensations simply by tapping on a keyboard.
I love this noise that we hear in viral videos on social networks: whispers, but also tapping fingernails on a keyboard, which provide a feeling of pleasure called ASMR
(Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response)
.
Sharp nails can then be seen as an instrument of sound creation.
An expression form.
»