My Aversion to Red Nails: Why?

Back in the hay days of nail polish, the only colour that existed was red. I wasn't born at the time. By the time I entered this world, 50 shades of Essie adorned the racks at every local drugstore and women were changing nail polish colours like they changed their undergarments. Despite my nail polish freedom, I've always held an unfathomable aversion to the red nail.

Why?

Colour me rebellious, but red nails represent convention and frankly, I aspire towards the unconventional. They're classy and timeless like my favourite red lip, but unlike the red lip, they remind us of female constriction. When women began wearing red nails, they had no other option. You either went red or went home. When blues and greens surfaced, it started a nail revolution. And suddenly, nail art became a trend and plain red was that boring look you opted for if you wanted to go back to basics.

But lo and behold, red has been reinvented. Louboutin nails are the latest fad. Matching your red lip to your nails is synonymous with vixen and we're back to square one. What gives?

Are women reverting back to red because they yearn for classicism in a world of over-the-top prints and an overuse of glitter? Or is the endless array of choice encouraging us to return to what we know best? Is the fact that we now have a choice making a red nail more inviting?

Whatever the reason, I painted my nails red last night after months of avoiding the colour. Am I becoming a conformist? No. I'm simply nostalgic and there's nothing more high fashion than nostalgia.

Bella

Nail polish: Essie Really Red
Lipstick: M.A.C Red