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Hello,
Wondering if anyone else has gone out wearing nail polish while still in guy mode? What are your experiences doing that with the general public?
I did it twice recently, once with white and once in light blue so they are easily spotted.
To my surprise no one has really paid too much attention as I went about my business. One waiter did take a longer stare at me and a few others on the street took an extra look.
I might do this a bit more often, given how little attention I attracted :)
My nails are usually kept fairly long and with a clear coat of "Nail Envy" by OPI. I recently had my niece compliment me on my nails, saying she thought it was good I paid attention to them. Now it's just possible that one or more of my adult children has shared with her that I'm transgender. That may have been her attempt to open the door to the conversation, but I didn't go there.
The only time I go out with color on my nails is when I'm presenting female. I don't see a need for it any other time.
I used to be a goth (stopped a lot of the fancy stuff a few years after my daughter was born) and I did it all the time, and infrequently now as we go out a lot less. TBH experience depends on the crowd. If you go onto a building site you will be surrounded by 'alpha male' types all trying to show how manly they are and thus you would be ridiculed, but go into a shop and hang around the makeup area and you may even get compliments. It's all about the type of people you are around, and tbh most people don't care.
Not sure this counts. For over a year I have been getting my nails done at a nail salon but in guy mode. I started out with acrylics and then switched to S&S at the suggestion of my daughter. I have always had problems with my nails, biting them, tearing them up. Since getting my nails done I no longer have that problem. I get them done about every 2 weeks. When I first started I asked that my nails had to appear natural. That is the way I keep them. The final step is a clear gloss. some people have noticed and asked and I explained why I get my nails done. I have tried applying nail polish. It does not go well. After removing the nail polish I can still see left over nail polish. I have quit applying nail polish and just stay with the clear whether in guy mode or dressed en femme. I have had one problem with them and that is chipping or breaking a nail or two. I finally realized I needed to keep my nails shorter to prevent that from happening. My nails seems to grow rather quickly so by the time I am due to get them done again I need to have them trimmed back.
I had mine polished for 2 weeks or so and drive a tow truck. In that time I got maybe 5 comments from poeple. maybe some extra stares.
Clear only.
I do it all the time. I have a shade from Revlon called Sheer Rose. It it like clear polish, but with a slight tint.
Good for all of you, just one more small step to acceptance.
I've had clear on a few times, no one ever said anything.
Yes a lot lately and have had several complements on them too
I wear LA colors "American manicure" with matt top coat. Looks natural and lasts about 2 days as a matt finish then wears to a semi shine. So far no one except my wife has commented.
I do it all the time. I have my nails done professionally, with acrylic nails, and feminine shaping and color choices. The only comments I get are complements, mostly from women but occasionally from guys too, about how fantastic my nails look. Lots of times it has given me a reason to chat or flirt with an attractive younger woman who otherwise would have had little interest in me. With the women, I share info about where I got them done. Many of them have begun using the same nail salon after that. The closest thing to a negative reaction was from my sister, before I was out to her. The first time she saw my nails in a feminine French cut with clear gloss polish, she gave me a fishy look and commented, “Your nails look awfully feminine.” I just replied, “Yes, they do.”
I usually keep a clear coat on them, even if noticed (by women) they are complimentary. However not too long ago after changing back to drab I forgot about the polish and went for gas and the supermarket with light green pearl polish on. If anyone noticed I didn't see it.
Yes many people do it / have done it and they all pretty much have the same experience you had. In fact, this comes up a lot and I don't recall ever reading a thread where someone suffered any notable problems. I wore pretty obvious nail polish 24/7 for about a year before I started coming out. No problems. Why would there be? What would you do if you saw a guy wearing nail polish? Go psycho, or just think, "hey, it's one of those guys who wear nail polish."Quote:
Originally Posted by Keichan
I wear polish in guy more 80% of the time. The other part I give my nails a chance to recuperate from having paint on them.
Gives them time to breath.
Most people don't pay attention or care for that matter.
Some notice but just don't say anything because its none of their business.
My toes are always pinyed and my fingers have clear polish. Have not tried color except for special nights going out. Would love to have society accept painted finger nails o
in colors other tham black
I wear long acrylic nails all the time, and have them polished every two weeks when I get my fills, plus occasionally in between. I don't wear color at work, but usually keep the polish on through the weekends. I always go for totally feminine colors. Dark reds are my favorite, but I also wear brighter reds, pinks and metallics sometimes, often with a few rhinestones or a bit of nail art on a couple of fingers. They are a magnet for attention in checkout lines and at drive-through windows, mostly from women. (Men probably notice but are much less likely to say anything.) The reactions are about 99.9% positive. I really only recall one incident when a worker at a small town McD's tried to give me a hard time about them. I've worn them to medical appointments a few times, as well as normal daily activities like shopping and banking. When someone asks why, my usual response is, "why should the girls have all the fun?" I wouldn't argue that everyone should do this, but it adds a bit of spice to my interactions with people out in the world.
- Diane
Wow!! Thank you girls for sharing your experiences. As I have read time and time again here, often it's in our mind that "strangers" are going to care, but in fact they are too busy going about their own business to worry about other people.
I did it as a test for myself to see if people will react negatively. The main reason being the fact that if I had to remove nail polish everytime I go out to the supermarket or getting lunch, it would drive me mad! The time and effort to put it back on when I dress, takes a while to put 4 coats on and drying them.
April Rose - Yes I have a similar one Revlon Sheer Petal 909. Even if you apply the 2 coats of colour it's still looks really subtle even I had difficulty noticing if I had it on. I think it's more abvious in certain lighting conditions?
Teri Ray - Have you tried matt top coat on anything other than black? Does it work? Right now I really love my gel shiny top coat, wouldn't mind trying matt but not into black polish myself.
Ceera - Unfortunately, it doesn't make sense for me to have professionally done nails as I still have to take them off for business meetings and meeting with friends. Which happens at least twice a week, so my finger polish never last more than a few days. I would love to be able to keep longer nails and have them done at a salon one day.
Pat - That's hilarious! I certainly hope I don't come across any psycho types!
Alice B - You should try some light colour on your fingers next time and venture out. Hardly anyone notices. :) Some days I have to remove colour from my toes too due to the type of sport that I play. I'm still in the closet with friends and families :(
Diane Smith - Thank you for sharing your favorite colour. I think I might go shopping for some red based polish.
To those that I haven't responded to directly, your experience is definately much appreciated and helped me much on my journey :)
Keichan,
I wore a teal coloured polish to match a dress for a party at our hotel and realised I'd forgotten my remover , so I had to go for a swim in drab mode with my nails still done , Yes it did get some second glances and a comment of , " Like your nails !" from the pool attendant .
I wear polish all the time. Toes in blue or dark blue. Fingers with gel, not too long and polish in nude, between grey and light brown.
Comments of others? Rarely.
I wear polish all the time (24/7), clear and color of all types, never had any one complain, only compliments, nails are 1/4 inch past my finger tips. Marshalynn
In my fairly extensive experience those who notice are interested and delighted and I have never had a bad comment.
All the time when out of work, never had a bad comment. Only good! I wear all colours and my toes are always painted, even when out with sandals or flip flops.
Several times, but only with clear
I often do. Not at work. I don't like polishing my own nails, though. I get a mani-pedi every 4-6 weeks and have for many years. In between I'll often get just a polish change (you don't necessarily have to be wearing polish to get a polish change) that is just getting your nails polished without all the typical cuticle trim, massage, etc. that is part of a full blown mani-pedi, and much less expensive. Like everybody else, no bad experiences. Mostly no reaction at all. Any reaction has been positive. I'm certain, however, that many of those who don't react and even those who comment positively probably talk behind my back. I have no problem with that, but it'd be a mistake to think that people just accept it as ordinary when it's clearly not.
An interesting aside... I wear my nails with just about 1/8" of free edge now, cutting them when they get to about 1/4". But for over 30 years, dating back to when I was a teenager I wore my nails very long, often a half inch or more of free edge. I'd always let them grow until I broke one, then cut them all back to the length of the break and start over. The longer the better. Reaction to this was almost always negative. I took care of them, always keeping them meticulously clean and shaped, often with clear polish or hardener. I don't understand why, but long nails on a guy just creeps people out. Even when they don't say anything, there'll be some visible reaction. Way different than the reaction or lack thereof to polished nails.