Although many men have been having manicures and pedicures to trim their hand and foot nails, it was only recently that fingernail painting became fashionable among males.
Credit goes to American fashion designer Marc Jacobs who in March posted his image wearing dark purple nail polish and used the hashtag #malepolish which became viral on Instagram and attracted 1,388 posts as of Sept. 5.
Since then Jacobs had been posting glamorous manicures weekly using different shades and labels it 'Mani Mondays." He usually poses with a lit cigarette.
W Magazine noted that before Jacobs, other men too had painted their fingernails, citing as example Marilyn Manson, Jared Leto and Johnny Depp.
According to Jin Soon Choi, friend of Jacobs and founder of JINsoon, men who color their fingernails tend to select dark colors and stay away from bright and pastel shades.
Andrew Glass, vice president of EvolutionMan, an American skincare line for males, explained the growing popularity of fingernail painting among men to male tendency to create a good impression and to gain more confidence.
“I think that men are tired of having to steal their girlfriends' products to look good,” said Glass. “Men all over the world are starting to be more comfortable and confident to get grooming services done in order to look good.”