Recession nails or racial erasure? Why a ‘naked’ manicure is not as neutral as it seems

Fashion weeks are showcasing a trend for short, bare or sheer-polished nails, moving away from bold colours and long manicures. This minimalist approach is linked to a desire for natural beauty, practicality, and potentially economic factors, but it’s also criticized for aligning with the ‘clean girl aesthetic’ and potentially erasing Black and working-class beauty traditions.

• Copenhagen Fashion Week features a trend of short, unvarnished or sheer-polished nails, a departure from previous bold styles.
• This minimalist nail trend is described as ‘very Danish’ and aligns with a broader ‘no-makeup makeup’ approach.
• The trend may be influenced by recessionary concerns, with the cost of manicures rising.
• It reflects a wider consumer shift towards enhancing natural features and low-maintenance beauty.
• Environmental concerns about the waste and microplastic pollution from traditional manicures are also a factor.
• Critics argue the ‘naked’ nail trend is part of the ‘clean girl aesthetic’ and can be seen as erasure, particularly by devaluing styles historically associated with Black and working-class women.
• Beauty experts suggest that nails are dead cells and do not need ‘breaks’ from polish, debunking the myth that they need to ‘breathe’.