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The long, acrylic nail tendency has been rocked past just most everyone from the everyday, middle-class girl to A-list celebs. Be clear: The trend that started long before the Kardashian klan and countless others adopted information technology as their own in the 2000s, is often seen every bit "tacky" on WOC and "absurd" on women that aren't.

"French manicures and pastel colors signal white, center-course, heteronormative beauty. Long, sculptured, airbrushed nails, on the other manus, are markers of blackness, sexual deviancy, and marginalized femininity," explained Lynchburg College Sport Management Professor Lindsay Pieper in a 2015 essay.

Then, equally y'all might've guessed, the origins of such a "devious" and "captivating" trend is rooted deep in the community. Nail smooth and the notion of decorative nails appointment back as far as 5000 BC. Egyptians in North Africa created the first manicures worn by royals like the smashing Nefertiti, co-ordinate to a March 2014 report in Daily Mail.

Nefertiti

Source: Lorado / Getty

The earliest manis consisted of rubbing oil and incense into hands earlier painting the nails with herbal strengthening potions and them painting them with henna. The colored nails were a sign of their social condition and wealth, co-ordinate to NAILS Mag.

In 3000 BC, the Chinese originated the first form of smash polish from a mixture of beeswax, egg whites, gelatin, and vegetable dyes. So, in 1932, Revlon became the first smash smoothen brand on the market place. It wasn't until the 1950s that acrylics were born. Dentist Fred Slack accidentally created acrylics when he tried to mend his broken nail using different chemicals and dental materials. That blend was perfected in the 1970s by Dr. Stuart Nordstrom.

Alas, acrylics weren't truly popularized into mainstream culture until they were worn by the "Fastest Woman In The World," Florence "Flo Jo" Griffith Joyner in the 1980s. The 4-time Olympic medalist fabricated her mark both on and off-the-runway due to her tape-setting numbers, standout asymmetrical tracksuits, and iii-inch long, eye-catching nails.

She was a vision of athleticism, all the while making a bold, beauty argument on the world'south stage. In 1984, Joyner was denied a spot on the 200-meter relay team because her vi.5 inch nails were said to be likewise long to laissez passer the baton. However, she went on to win the silvery medal in the 200-meter race that same yr. Besides her speed, Joyner's nails became her trademark.

"Writers highlighted Flo Jo's fingernails as both a source of intrigue and revulsion, subtly emphasizing racial differences," Pieper pointed out in the 2015 report. "Because she preferred long, colorful nails, the runner was depicted as aberrant, deviant, and dissimilar."

Accept a look at her nails over the years:

United States Olympic Trials

Source: Tony Duffy / Getty

XXIV Summer Olympic Games

Source: Tony Duffy / Getty

Past the late 1990s, the leading ladies of hip-hop were wearing acrylic nails adorned with airbrushed design and dolla, dolla bills y'all! Lil Kim's iconic money manicure featured real coin. The unique and centre-catching artwork, which was designed by Celebrity blast technician Bernadette Thompson and inspired by Lil Kim'due south feature on Junior Chiliad.A.F.I.A. single "Get Money," was a visual marker of status and wealth in hip-hop culture. Thompson's work and its cultural relevance landed her an showroom in the Museum Of Modern Fine art  in 2017.

Nail technicians were truly experimental in the 90s, adding jewelry to their designs, as well.  Janet Jackson boasted hoop-pieced nails in her music video for the 1998 single "What'southward It Gonna Be?"

Fifty-fifty today, the long nail wait is at its popularity height. Everyday girls to our faves are rocking this look and taking information technology to the next level.

Only wait at Lizzo, whose nails are E'er on point. At the 2020 Brit Awards on Feb. 18, the iii-time Grammy winner rocked a gorgeous chocolate-colored (and reportedly chocolate-smelling) manicure to friction match her Hershey's-style dress.

Megan Thee Stallion rocked a long, yellow manicure to match her yellow outfit (and hummus) in a Super Bowl ad in Feb 2020.

Beyoncé loves her long nails too. She gave us a glimpse of her Adidas x Ivy Park manicure before she created the iconic Beyoncé-posing-with-a-heap-of-Adidas-shoes meme on Apr 26, 2019.

Once again, Black women are the helm of absurd and edgy trends in the fashion and dazzler space. Hopefully, as our community continues to shift the culture, we are recognized for our innovation and arts and crafts.

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