Nail Art

(work in progress!!1)

About

Nail Art is a method of applying nailpolish to create images, pictures or designs on ones finger or toe nails. Many online communities have surfaced around this art, with many people using social networks to show off their work.

Origin

Though nail art^[1] has been part of high fashion for decades, it has been discussed online since as early as 1994, beginning in the alt.fashion newsgroup. One of the earliest discussion threads was posted on May 2nd, 1994 by a student named Lisa at Michigan State University. The post^[2] discussed airbrushed nail art (example shown below) that is available for people who used acrylic-based extensions for their nails.

Spread

In 1999, the New York Times^[3] published an article on nail art’s rise in fashion, citing an increase in the amount of nail salons throughout America in the 1990s, making artificial nails as well as simple manicures more affordable for people from all walks of life. As local women began experimenting with long, flamboyant nails, high fashion labels began to co-opt the trends with Gucci (shown below), Marc Jacobs and Alexander McQueen using audacious nail looks both in print advertising and on the runways.

Search Interest

External References