The Red Nails Theory: Are crimson fingertips really sexually attractive?

Early this year, amidst the hullabaloo of beauty tricks that fill TikTok, the so-called Red Nail Theory went viral. The idea was first posited by the content creator GirlBossTown, who has more than half a million followers. A legion of Tiktokers corroborated the hypothesis that wearing reddish nail polish made women more attractive to men. The original publication attributes the phenomenon to men’s relationships with their mothers. “Every time I have red nails, a boy comments on it… And then I fell. In the 90s, when we were kids, red nails were often sported by women, especially our moms. And this made me think that boys are attracted to red nails because it reminds them of them,” she declares.

But the debate has deeper roots. Geoffrey Jones, Professor of History at Harvard Business School and author of the book Beauty Imagined: A History of the Global Beauty Industry (2011) indicates the history of the shade’s connotations. “The color red indicates fire and passion. It is bold and confident, and on an ‘asexual’ part of the body, it does not attract unwanted male attention. I think most men look at other parts of a woman’s body before nails, starting with the face and lips, but the emotional associations of the color red with boldness and confidence are probably just as appealing for many,” the historian says.

The fascination with red nail polish has existed for centuries. In the year 3,000 B.C., Chinese royalty used an ointment made from beeswax, egg whites, and vegetable dyes to dye their nails a deep red. Nefertiti and Cleopatra kept ruby and blood-red manicures fashionable as a status symbol until the end of Ancient Egyptian days. And pharaohs were applied a dark henna manicure during the mummification process to enhance their strength at the entrance to the afterlife.

Until the 20th century, Jones reveals, nail polish, like other cosmetics, was usually made at home. In the Western world, colored lacquers were associated with actresses and prostitutes. “The first “industrial” brand of enamels, known as Cutex, was launched by Northam Warren in New York in 1916. It was initially colorless. A pink dye was added a year later, and during the 1920s the use of the product spread with a new variety of colors”, continues the expert.

As Jones cites, not until 1928 did Cutex facilitate the mass adoption of nail polish by introducing an acetone-based nail polish remover, safe for home use.

During the Great Depression, Revlon enamels were born, made with pigments instead of dyes. In 1932, the New York-based cosmetics brand launched its first shade. Creators Charles and Joseph Revson were inspired to create a matching nail color for the scarlet lips so fashionable at the time. Thus, their famous tone Cherries in the Snow was born.

During World War II women from all over the world were recruited to build tanks, planes and munitions. At the same time, they created a rebellious style involving male work overalls and crimson lips. The colored nails were the cherry on top. After the war, nail polish ceased to be a luxury item. Its production costs became cheaper, and the style became accessible to everyone.

Jones emphasizes the importance that nail polish had in the image of female sex symbols at the time. Lauren Bacall, Joan Crawford, Marilyn Monroe and Rita Hayworth championed their magnetism on the big screen, while Lucille Ball featured bright fingertips in her comedy shows.

During World War II, women from all over the world were recruited to build tanks, planes and munitions. At the same time, they created a rebellious style involving male work overalls and crimson lips. The colored nails were the cherry on top. After the war, nail polish ceased to be a luxury item. Its production costs became cheaper, and the style became accessible to everyone.

Jones emphasizes the importance that nail polish had in the image of female sex symbols at the time. Lauren Bacall, Joan Crawford, Marilyn Monroe and Rita Hayworth championed their magnetism on the big screen, while Lucille Ball featured bright fingertips in her comedy shows.

This exaltation of hyperfemininity would reach its highest point with the dramatic forms that dominated the twilight of the seventies (Liza Minnelli or Dolly Parton as the most significant examples), in addition to championing the empowerment of working women in the following decade among circles such as Wall St.

The boom in manicures and affordable salons in the last decade has popularized elaborate nail art styles that depart from the traditional gendered associations with the color red. It continues, though, to be the most popular nail shade.

TikTok’s nostalgia preceded this autumn’s arrival of a new range of red shades. Classics such as Yves Saint Laurent’s No. 1, couture lacquer Rouge Pop Art and OPI’s Big Apple coexist with recent releases like MAC’s ‘Rosalía.’ Men may like it, but women do too.