Mistaken Identity

[Pat]

Lately I've been wearing nail polish all the time regardless of how I'm presenting. The reason is that I finally decided I'd stop fighting and get manicures done professionally. Manicures aren't expensive but having put money down, i'm not going to wear the polish for a couple of hours and then take it off (cheap baastid.) What I found was that most people have nothing to say about it and the few who do usually just want to say something nice -- "Nice color," or "I love your nails," or similar. I beam and thank them. Nobody has ever treated me badly or said a mean thing.

So I'm out in male mode stopped at a street corner with a banjo case in my hand and a little kid "whispers" as kids do, "Daddy, that man is wearing nail polish!" The dad dismisses it with, "He's a musician." I smiled as two thoughts crossed my mind -- first, I play several instruments, but I've never considered myself a musician but second, was a stern, "Hey! That's not why I'm wearing nail polish!!" But I let it pass.

[Tracii G]

I have gotten that comment before.
Two teen girls at a sporting goods store with their Mom and Dad saw me at the counter talking to the clerk.
One girl said OMG that man has on nail polish!!! The other girl said he must be in a band I think its cool.
The Dad gave me a funny look.

[jigna]

Be true to what you believe,

[Michelle Crossfire]

I have gotten that comment before.
Two teen girls at a sporting goods store with their Mom and Dad saw me at the counter talking to the clerk.
One girl said OMG that man has on nail polish!!! The other girl said he must be in a band I think its cool.
The Dad gave me a funny look.

When you think about it, aren't we all in a band, and marching to the beat of our own music?

[Lauri K]

When you think about it, aren't we all in a band, and marching to the beat of our own music?

So glad they refer to me as "Rock Star" at work, otherwise my cover would be blown. (may be already, who knows)

The sad thing here is that the comments made by the father and others to their kids are often just made up, he did not know if you were in the band or if you were a professor of science.

My experience though is that you will get more positive comments than negative ones on most everything when out in public, if you just go about your business as normal.

Reality for me has been that family members are most difficult people to be around, if you want to hear compliments.

I always tell my self that people who are negative or being rude are just jealous, and they just wish they could be as pretty as we are.

[CynthiaD]

I often wear nail polish in male mode (usually bright red). I also have never had a negative comment, and often get complements.

[Jaylyn]

Ok Banjo pickers paint their nails, guitar pickers paint their toes, and us mandolin and guitar pickers paint our nails and toes.... Lol I don't consider myself a musician either but enjoy playing and pretending.
Sometimes it is just best to let things pass.

[Katey888]

For some reason, Jennie, any mention of banjos just sets 'that' tune going in the background and images of Burt Reynolds with 'that' 'tache... but I digress slightly...

You have the advantage of being seen as an artiste of some denomination - which is great camouflage, in a way - but then we are all artistes of a different kind too, so something of a double-bluff I feel... But I totally get what you say about taking it off after a few hours - very sobering and depressing I know, so perhaps I need to invest in a cheap, secondhand, empty instrument case to carry around that will extend the longevity of any nail art by allowing me to remain hidden in plain sight...?

It is another great example of the muggles' expectations and understanding what they feel comfortable with seeing:

• an apparent musician with nail polish? Acceptable in daylight and public.
• a guy with a beard carrying a chainsaw and wearing nail polish? See how quick the 911 calls start...

It's a dissonance thing...

Katey x

[Samantha2015]

That's why I like the press on nails. Paint them once use many times. They look way better than my real nails.
what a horror show of ridges and waves they are !!

[Sandie70]

Unfortunately, my nails are in such poor shape I'm not even a candidate for a manicure, let alone putting on nail polish. That leaves me with press on nails - a good alternative, but still a pain, putting them on and taking them off all the time. I am working on getting my real nails in shape and then... we'll see.

Oh, years ago I did use a clear gloss nail polish that I wore all the time and I got stopped constantly by mostly women who were puzzled by this. I always told them it was a preventive for biting my nails and some of them bought that, and some didn't. Oddly enough, I never saw any of those people again (each was a chance encounter) and years later I couldn't help but think..."why did I give a hoot what those people thought - they weren't part of my life." If I could go back in time I might have seen their comments to a stranger as rude and replied "because I am part woman, hear me roar!" LOL

[Tracii G]

Most people won't say anything so its really nothing to worry about.
Most of the time I wear clear but when I want to wear a color maybe to match my ear rings or shoes I just do it.
I don't worry about what people think because I don't care what they think.

[Jacqueline85]

... he did not know if you were in the band or if you were a professor of science.

If only I could pass as an artiste, but I am working toward being a professor of science. (Got the qualification. Only need the job.) I think wearing colored nail polish would hurt my chances, though I often do wear clear nail polish.

If you think about it though, most of us really are artists. What could be more artistic than using makeup, clothes and various enhancements to project a female image on a male canvas?

[Megan70]

I stopped messing with nail polish for that surmised 3 hour high years ago. Its simply not worth the time or effort (especially in the infinitesimal removal), to put it on. I find when I'm out fully dressed no one ever looks at my hands any way, why go through the trouble?

[Barbara Black]

Thanks Samantha. I haven't bought press on nails yet, but I fully intend to. But I didn't know you could reuse them after painting them. That makes it so much better for the effort. However, I don't think it's that much of an effort at all, either putting it on, which is almost exciting, or even removal, which isn't that difficult either. I do my toes, which is definitely harder putting on or taking off, and I haven't thought it a problem so far. Maybe it's just a phase??

[Angie G]

I wear clear polish almost 24/7. Sometimes I'll go a day or two without but not very often. One girl summerhelp asked if I panted my nails And I told her yes and that was that.
Angie

[Badwolf]

From experience a lot of women do notice each others nails. Partially because it's an easy thing to compliment. So I prefer to have them done when en femme.

As for walking in male mode, I've done it MANY times, and I think this case in many cases is actually parent protectiveness. Not Muggle blindness. It's a quick easy answer, and since most parents have an issue with their child becoming a musician anyways, it's an easy way to reinforce all of it together. The big reason I believe this is that it's normally triggered by kids asking, and it's almost a reactive answer.

Most people that really have no clue will ask first. I normally go with a semi-artsy answer of saying I love color (which isn't a lie). I let them come up with whatever else they want after that. I'll sometimes top it off by saying another half truth, which is that I let the nail tech pick the color most of the time so I don't know what I'll get. I have a blast doing it too. The nail techs sometimes just look at me like I asked them to build me a spaceship.

[MissTee]

I keep my nails cut close, and I wear nailtiques formula 2 on them which looks like a gloss clear coat. I have to work very hard to keep my nails strong and not allow them to split and peel (a buy product of anemia.) I've shared before the occasional comment I get. Nothing ever bad, just curious or complimentary.