# Long fingernails...REEEALLY long **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 30, 2007, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-fingernails-reeeally-long/390111 "2007-01-30T15:28:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tupug\_Anachi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@Tupug\_Anachi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tupug_Anachi)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-fingernails-reeeally-long/390111/21 "2007-01-30T17:17:36Z")
[QUOTE=Veuve\_ClicquotNJ] These nails are a fairly close approximation to what I believe hers to be as far as length (her’s _could_ be longer). She doesn’t have them polished _quite_ as gaily as in the picture: > **[Redirect Notice](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http:%2F%2Fthumb13.webshots.com%2Fs%2Fthumb1%2F5%2F20%2F65%2F182552065VtDBRp_th.jpg&imgrefurl=http:%2F%2Fcommunity.webshots.com%2Falbum%2F182542319yaHVzd&h=100&w=100&sz=4&hl=en&start=88&tbnid=9G8XJLTXqwf_uM:&tbnh=82&tbnw=82&prev=%2Fimages%3Fq%3D%2522long%2Bfingernails%2522%26start%3D80%26ndsp%3D20%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN)** VCNJ~ [/QUOTE] Ugh! I don’t care how much you polish the tops…the undersides are barforama! ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-fingernails-reeeally-long/390111/22 "2007-01-30T17:21:50Z")
[QUOTE=you with the face] I wish you would ask her why she’s growing those things and then report back to us on what she says. [/QUOTE] Maybe it’s what’s enabled her to remain _booger-free since '83._ ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Tiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Mama\_Tiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Tiger)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-fingernails-reeeally-long/390111/23 "2007-01-30T17:23:51Z")
There was a secretary at my son’s elementary school in a large school district who had nails several inches long. I actually inquired of the principal why she was allowed to keep them, when her job mostly consisted of typing and writing and she could barely do either, and was told that the union had apparently bargained for permission to grow nails as long as they wanted. Frankly, whatever management official gave in to that request was a friggin’ idiot. But yeah, anything over about 1/2 inch grosses me out completely. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-fingernails-reeeally-long/390111/24 "2007-01-30T17:25:42Z")
[QUOTE=Veuve\_ClicquotNJ] If you were to chop off the hands, she’d be pretty much at home in any office setting. [/QUOTE] I don’t know. She might have some real problems typing then. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Tiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Mama\_Tiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Tiger)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-fingernails-reeeally-long/390111/25 "2007-01-30T17:32:24Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] I don’t know. She might have some real problems typing then. [/QUOTE] Probably no more than she has now. ---
**Author:** ![Cowgirl\_Jules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@Cowgirl\_Jules](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cowgirl_Jules)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-fingernails-reeeally-long/390111/26 "2007-01-30T18:51:09Z")
[QUOTE=lieu] Maybe it’s what’s enabled her to remain _booger-free since '83._ [/QUOTE] With nails like that, she could pick clear to the back of her sinuses. ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-fingernails-reeeally-long/390111/27 "2007-01-30T19:06:42Z")
[QUOTE=Cowgirl Jules] With nails like that, she could pick clear to the back of her sinuses. [/QUOTE] Which brings up a good point. Never agree to let her pick your brains. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-fingernails-reeeally-long/390111/28 "2007-01-30T20:38:18Z")
[QUOTE=Veuve\_ClicquotNJ] SThese nails are a fairly close approximation to what I believe hers to be as far as length (her’s _could_ be longer). She doesn’t have them polished _quite_ as gaily as in the picture: > **[Redirect Notice](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http:%2F%2Fthumb13.webshots.com%2Fs%2Fthumb1%2F5%2F20%2F65%2F182552065VtDBRp_th.jpg&imgrefurl=http:%2F%2Fcommunity.webshots.com%2Falbum%2F182542319yaHVzd&h=100&w=100&sz=4&hl=en&start=88&tbnid=9G8XJLTXqwf_uM:&tbnh=82&tbnw=82&prev=%2Fimages%3Fq%3D%2522long%2Bfingernails%2522%26start%3D80%26ndsp%3D20%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN)** [/QUOTE] Those aren’t fingernails. Those are _claws_. Yech! ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-fingernails-reeeally-long/390111/29 "2007-01-30T20:48:39Z")
I’m no expert… But wouldn’t one of those things _EVENTUALLY_ break? I mean, I hear women say all the time that they broke a nail for one reason or another… And theirs are normal sized. Wouldn’t those claws get caught on _SOMETHING_ eventually? ---
**Author:** ![UntouchedTakeaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d78d45/32.png) [@UntouchedTakeaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UntouchedTakeaway)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-fingernails-reeeally-long/390111/30 "2007-01-30T20:50:22Z")
[QUOTE=clayton\_e] I’m no expert… But wouldn’t one of those things _EVENTUALLY_ break? I mean, I hear women say all the time that they broke a nail for one reason or another.. And theirs are normal sized. Wouldn’t those claws get caught on _SOMETHING_ eventually? [/QUOTE] I’ve been here 7 years. No breakage that I have seen. She _must_ trim them, because I’ve never seen them - you know - growing (does that make sense?) The few times I’ve actually allowed myself to get a good look at them it appears they are much thicker than the average nail. Blargh. I just ate, too. VCNJ~ ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-fingernails-reeeally-long/390111/31 "2007-01-30T20:52:18Z")
_\_ That’s beyond creepy. I’d have a hard time taking a person seriously if they had nails like that. Yeah, I know, she’s more than a set of excessively long fingernails. But while I wouldn’t demand a law against it, I reserve the right to not deal with people who get that far out of the norm. And if I was hiring, she’d be right out of the running. _\_ ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-fingernails-reeeally-long/390111/32 "2007-01-30T20:53:12Z")
I , too, don’t understand how they don’t break. I like my nails long and elegant - a half an inch! And they’re real. And they do break if they get any longer than that, and I have very healthy nails. I find it pretty goddamn disgusting, too. Perhaps it’s something mental? Eek. ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-fingernails-reeeally-long/390111/33 "2007-01-30T21:01:53Z")
Ok, first off, my own nails are never THAT long… but I’ve been known to sport some bordering-on-dragon-lady nails at times. Longest they’re ever been is about an inch-and-a-half, maybe two inches, from cuticle to tip (and no, they weren’t acrylic, they were natural.) I just want to chime in on the behalf of the long-nailed ladies and say it’s not only possible to attend to one’s personal hygeine effectively, it’s not even difficult, if you’ve GROWN your nails. You get used to the length very naturally and gradually, it’s not like you wake up one morning with spikes at the ends of your hands. I can type, clean, do claywork, and even put my contact lenses in and take them out with no trouble. Cleaning under longer nails is considerably easier, at least for me, than digging at dirt trapped in a teeny space. All that said, I think my nails at two inches were a bit on the ridiculous side - I only grew them that long to see if I could. Now I keep them pretty normal-length, maybe half an inch from cuticle to tip. ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-fingernails-reeeally-long/390111/34 "2007-01-30T21:02:04Z")
Nail strengthener. It’s a brush-on thing, kinda like nail polish but … not. Could be some kind of clear-coat acrylic or something. Yes, I’ve had to go shopping with the wife on a few occasions. Her nails are perfectly normal, however. I insist on it. Or rather, certain body parts insist on it. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-fingernails-reeeally-long/390111/35 "2007-01-30T21:02:44Z")
Did you look at some of the other “claws” in that [link](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://thumb13.webshots.com/s/thumb1/5/20/65/182552065VtDBRp_th.jpg&imgrefurl=http://community.webshots.com/album/182542319yaHVzd&h=100&w=100&sz=4&hl=en&start=88&tbnid=9G8XJLTXqwf_uM:&tbnh=82&tbnw=82&prev=/images%3Fq%3D%2522long%2Bfingernails%2522%26start%3D80%26ndsp%3D20%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN)? This gal has hers painted yellow, red and black. Good grief! Yellow? Rule of thumb: don’t paint your nails a color that wouldn’t look good on your teeth. Red? What, you want to appear as if you just took down a gazelle? And black? The ends of her nails look like she wouldn’t trim them even when they were dead. This is not a good look. Even lions and tigers and such have the sense to clean themselves up afterwards. Well shoot… link was same as before. Look at xmays1. ---
**Author:** ![Mooella](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/51bf81/32.png) [@Mooella](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mooella)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-fingernails-reeeally-long/390111/36 "2007-01-30T21:04:20Z")
[QUOTE=clayton\_e] I’m no expert… But wouldn’t one of those things _EVENTUALLY_ break? I mean, I hear women say all the time that they broke a nail for one reason or another.. And theirs are normal sized. Wouldn’t those claws get caught on _SOMETHING_ eventually? [/QUOTE] I am, and yes they do if there not properly maintained. And your right accidents do happen real or not. But there are ’ different strokes for different folks’. As for anyone sitting in my chair…just can’t bring myself to do it even if they wanted it. I could, but on many levels for me, I feel that to just be wrong! I don’t need money that bad! ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-fingernails-reeeally-long/390111/37 "2007-01-30T21:07:32Z")
I wonder if you lopped one of those bad boys off would you be able to tell how old she is by counting the rings. Okay, I’m just grossing myself out now. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-fingernails-reeeally-long/390111/38 "2007-01-30T21:09:59Z")
Heh, me too. I need to find some picks now of someone’s fingers with bunnies on the ends. ---
**Author:** ![xanthous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/53a042/32.png) [@xanthous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xanthous)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-fingernails-reeeally-long/390111/39 "2007-01-30T21:10:01Z")
[QUOTE=Veuve\_ClicquotNJ] They look like that old Chinese guy in the Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum brochures. VCNJ~ [/QUOTE] That’s **exactly** what I thought of when I read your OP. Or, well, maybe it was the photo in the Guiness Book of World Records- same guy? Long and curled/twisted around? Damn, that skeeves me, even today. ---
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-fingernails-reeeally-long/390111/40 "2007-01-30T21:16:32Z")
About 30 years ago my wife had a friend w/ nails just like that. She also spent a lot of time, and money, on other aspects of her appearance, especially her hair. She was short, and a bit plump, and had been a polio victim as a child. She had a pronounced limp and it was obvious that she was trying to compensate for her handicap. It was really kind of sad. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-fingernails-reeeally-long/390111.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-fingernails-reeeally-long/390111.md?page=3)