A lesbian manicure (also known as a queer manicure, lesbian nails, femmicure etc.) is a style or trend of

manicure A manicure is a mostly Cosmetics, cosmetic beauty treatment for the fingernails and Hand, hands performed at home or in a nail salon. A manicure usually consists of Nail file, filing and shaping the free edge of nails, pushing and clipping ( ...

intended to allow

lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...

s and other queer people in the

LGBT community The LGBTQ community (also known as the LGBT, LGBT+, LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA, LGBTQIA+, or queer community) comprises LGBTQ people, LGBTQ individuals united by LGBTQ culture, a common culture and LGBTQ movements, social movements. These Community, comm ...

to safely and easily perform digital penetration during sex. The most distinct and modern form of the manicure entails long

nail extension Artificial nails, also known as fake nails, false nails, acrylic nails, press ons, nail extensions or nail enhancements, are extensions placed over fingernails as fashion accessories. Many artificial nail designs attempt to mimic the appearance ...

s on every finger apart from the

index finger The index finger (also referred to as forefinger, first finger, second finger, pointer finger, trigger finger, digitus secundus, digitus II, and many other terms) is the second digit of a human hand. It is located between the thumb and the m ...

middle finger The middle finger, long finger, second finger, third finger, toll finger or tall man is the third digit of the human hand, typically located between the index finger and the ring finger. It is typically the longest digit. In anatomy, it is al ...

, and sometimes

thumb The thumb is the first digit of the hand, next to the index finger. When a person is standing in the medical anatomical position (where the palm is facing to the front), the thumb is the outermost digit. The Medical Latin English noun for thumb ...

of the

dominant hand In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to and causing it to be stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply le ...

, thus preventing injury or discomfort to the

vulva In mammals, the vulva (: vulvas or vulvae) comprises mostly external, visible structures of the female sex organ, genitalia leading into the interior of the female reproductive tract. For humans, it includes the mons pubis, labia majora, lab ...

vagina In mammals and other animals, the vagina (: vaginas or vaginae) is the elastic, muscular sex organ, reproductive organ of the female genital tract. In humans, it extends from the vulval vestibule to the cervix (neck of the uterus). The #Vag ...

during intercourse while otherwise maintaining the fashion of long acrylic nails in one's daily life. The style is often seen as a public expression or symbol of lesbian identity, particularly on the ''femme'' side of the femme–butch spectrum,Wallace, Megan
"Lez nails: Is the 'queer woman with short nails' an outdated stereotype?"
, ''Dazed'' Beauty, 17 October 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2024. while manicure and nail art are more broadly seen as a recurring topic across the community and are frequently seen in spaces such as the drag subculture.Thompson, Martine
"Cheers to the Queer Manicure"
, ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'', 22 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2024.

History and culture

The lesbian community has historically been closely associated with unilaterally short nails, such that a 2018 poll by the queer women's website ''

Autostraddle Autostraddle is a queer and trans-owned online magazine and social network for lesbian, bisexual, and queer women ( cis and trans), as well as non-binary people and trans people of all genders. The website is a "politically progressive queer fem ...

'' found that 95% of respondents wore short nails, and the length of a woman's nails was sometimes associated in popular culture as a factor in " gaydar".Strapagiel, Lauren
"I Used to Think Being a Lesbian Meant Giving Up My Love of Long Nails"
, ''Fashion'', 15 August 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2024. Lesbian women have sometimes described studying a woman's hands, nails, or fingers to evaluate them as a potential partner. The portrayal of short nails as a "standard" among queer womenDupere, Katie
"I Am A Queer Women Who Loves Fake Nails & No, I Won't Take Them Off During Sex"
, ''

Bustle A bustle is a padded undergarment or wire frame used to add fullness, or support the drapery, at the back of women's dresses in the mid-to-late 19th century. Bustles are worn under the skirt in the back, just below the waist, to keep the skir ...

'', 10 April 2018. was popularized by works of queer fiction like ''

The L Word ''The L Word'' is a television drama series that aired on Showtime in the United States from 2004 to 2009. The series follows the lives of a group of lesbian and bisexual women who live in West Hollywood, California. The premise originated wit ...

'',Preston, Devon
"Meet the Femmicure: Where Queer Nail Art Meets Functionality"
, ''

PopSugar PopSugar Inc. is an American media and technology company that is the parent to the media property PopSugar (stylized POPSUGAR) and a monthly subscription business PopSugar Must Have. The company was founded in 2006 by married couple Brian and Lis ...

'', 18 August 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2024. though this is sometimes considered a

stereotype In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalization, generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can ...

. The combination of differing nail lengths arose as a compromise between an aesthetic preference for long, sharp nails, particularly among

femme ''Femme'' (; , literally meaning ) is a term traditionally used to describe a lesbian woman who exhibits a feminine identity or gender presentation. While commonly viewed as a lesbian term, alternate meanings of the word also exist with some ...

lesbians, and the practicality of using the index and middle fingers, nicknamed the "party fingers", for vaginal penetration during intercourse between women. Both shorter nails overall and the 'party fingers' style of manicure have become symbols of lesbian pride or a form of mutual identification between queer women in public. The style and its significance to the lesbian community was praised in the ''

'', but it also included a warning by Canadian writer Kinsey Clarke, who wears the style herself, against centering more affluent white women when discussing symbols of lesbian culture. Other proponents of the manicure include Mina Q, a Los Angeles stand-up performer, and Natalie Minerva, a professional nail artist for HBO's ''

Euphoria Euphoria ( ) is the experience (or affect) of pleasure or excitement and intense feelings of well-being and happiness. Certain natural rewards and social activities, such as aerobic exercise, laughter, listening to or making music and da ...

'' responsible for the middle-and-index style sported by star

Barbie Ferreira Barbara "Barbie" Seppe Ferreira (; born December 14, 1996) is an American actress and model. She is best known for her role as Kat Hernandez in the HBO series ''Euphoria'' (2019–2022). Early life Ferreira was born in East Harlem in New York ...

. A writer for '' Allure'' also spoke of her favorable experience with the sex positivity surrounding the manicure and its growing visibility.Wax, Shelby
"5 Queer People on How They Learned the "Nail Code""
, ''Allure'', 14 September 2023.

Notes

References

{{reflist Lesbian culture Nail care Female masturbation Manual sex LGBTQ fashion

History and culture

See also

Notes

References