BY JULIA BENITO
Showing that beauty and style are universal.
Whoever said that painted nails were only for the sake of women clearly have been living under a rock! Daring, bold, and irrefutably stylish, these celebrity men show us just everything we need to see about how men’s nails (or “mails” if you’re feeling witty) look just as good on them as it would on ladies — perhaps even better? Let’s let you be the judge of that.
G-Dragon
We first saw G-Dragon rock vibrant, statement nails in his “POWER” music video. Since then, he’s been fully committed to the edgy aesthetic, sporting bold designs that prove polish is the ultimate accessory for self-expression—a real “POWER” move.
Tyler, the Creator
We first saw Tyler, the Creator rock bright baby blues in the music video of his song “Lumberjack”. Since then, he’s been fully committed to this new pastel look, rocking it in his later albums. Taking it a step further, his lifestyle brand, Golf Le Fleur, now dabbles in the “mails” territory, offering a gender-neutral line of polish in three spectacular shades — the Creator indeed.
Harry Styles
Since the demise of One Direction (we’re still hopeful for a comeback, but whatever), we’ve seen Harry Styles’, well, style evolve immensely, soon enabling him to be an icon for fashion that simply doesn’t care about the “rules”. From man skirts to pearl necklaces and — of course — painted nails, Styles is unafraid to show that your sense of style can simply be yours — no ifs, whens, or buts. Take his smiley-faced nails or adorable watermelon nail art as your prime example.
Lil Yachty
Much like Tyler, the Creator, Lil Yachty has fully embraced the men’s nail polish trend — which, by the way, we’re hoping becomes a mainstay — by launching his own brand: Crete. Initially inspired by A$AP Rocky to get a clear-polish manicure for a smooth, clean look, Lil Yachty has since taken it several notches up by creating unique polish pens.
Not only that but he’s been known to don eye-catching nail art as well, from designs ranging from pandas and car logos to festive holiday nail art for Christmas. His stance on the matter is even more inspiring, as he emphasizes that the stigma that men can’t wear nail polish is absolutely untrue as creativity and self-expression shouldn’t be hindered by these societal norms. The Crete slogan couldn’t have said it better: “For you. Not Them.”
Machine Gun Kelly
MGK has been showing some serious manicure game as of late, sporting razor-sharp stiletto acrylics in the wildest designs possible. Unsurprising, as this rapper has been known to be creative with his looks by donning possibly every color under the sun at one point or another. Fans have been quick to take notice, even creating an Instagram page dedicated to just his painted digits. How’s that for iconic?
Lil Nas X
We all know Lil Nas X has been breaking gender stereotypes and making waves in the music scene left, right, and center. This rapper’s fingertips drive that nail even further into the coffin, showing off some major nail art rivaling even the snappiest of talons in the world of beauty. Case and point, his 22nd birthday treat to himself: diamond-encrusted nails worth $3,000 of precious stones. It just goes to show you that diamonds are everyone’s best friend.
Billy Porter
Billy Porter has never been anything less than extra, whether it’s his dazzling entrances to MET Galas or his nails. Fearlessness in fashion and genuineness in self-expression are traits this Pose superstar has shown both on and off camera.
From bright hues like unabashed yellow to nail art featuring Swarovski crystals — because if you can, why not — Porter shows us that he definitely understood the assignment and has been doing so for years.
Troye Sivan
This YouTuber and child actor turned serious musician had gotten into his first brush with men’s nail polish in support of an anti-bullying cause in the past. However, since then — plus with the massive positive support of his followers — we’ve seen Troye experimenting even further with different hues. Nowadays, we see him with his new signature nail ‘do: bright white to match with any of his outfits.
A$AP Rocky
This rapper knows that there’s quite the $ in the mani and he’s not afraid to show it. From enamels the likes of painted-on eyeballs, flags, and smiley faces, A$AP Rocky is clearly unbothered by the gender norms of nail polish and just goes crazy with it. Never really a man to just pick a color and be done with it, Rocky is usually seen sporting unique decals on each of his fingers, sometimes even spelling out words — which we will remain unmentioned here on THREAD — for self-expression. Another big supporter of the “mails”, Rocky once mentioned to Vogue how he wishes men would be open to it, saying men should be able to rock nail art without feeling feminine.
These high-profile men rock their painted nails with pride. If you’d like to do the same, you can cop some nail polish and nail care of your own on ZALORA today.