# Men's Extra Long Pinkie Nails **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 15, 1999, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-extra-long-pinkie-nails/2904 "1999-05-15T00:42:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![elbow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@elbow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbow)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 1999, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-extra-long-pinkie-nails/2904/21 "1999-08-31T05:19:00Z")
I’m sorry but I beg to differ, this practise is very common in Asian cultures. With men who, do not work on the sea, do manual labour, and don’t do cocaine. Before reading into it more than it is, the lines between the male/female fashion thing are much blurrier. Witness young men walking hand in hand or with their arms around each other. As westernisation of these cultures occur, traditional adornment of the male body is one of the first things to fall. Then the women who may have never traditionally cared about the length or colour of the fingernails begin to focus on such things. It’s only a tiny step to the men co opting a little of this. It’s not uncommon to see them using nail polish as well. It’s not effeminate to them —yet! That’s all it really is, I believe, sinister American interpretations aside. ---
**Author:** ![According\_to\_Pliny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@According\_to\_Pliny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/According_to_Pliny)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 1999, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-extra-long-pinkie-nails/2904/22 "1999-08-30T18:16:00Z")
That may well be, elbows, but in western counnties the long pinkie nails are definitely used for snorting cocaine. ---
**Author:** ![Chef\_Troy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Chef\_Troy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chef_Troy)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 1999, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-extra-long-pinkie-nails/2904/23 "1999-08-30T18:47:00Z")
This discussion reminds me of a 1982 movie called “Jekyll & Hyde…Together Again!”. In the movie, the mild-mannered scientist accidentially snorts a mysterious powder (don’t ask) and becomes the swinging disco hipster Hyde. IIRC, the physical changes induced by the drug include gold jewelry erupting from his body, a gold tooth appearing in his mouth, and…his pinky nail extends an inch or two. Other highlights in this movie include the Hyde-ified lead snarlingly asking a sushi chef for “some chicken sushi” (he gets a raw chicken leg with a belt of seaweed wrapped around it) and the closing shot of the corpse of Robert Louis Stevenson spinning in his grave. It’s one for the millenium time capsule. * * * Live a Lush Life Da Chef ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Zambezi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7cd45c/32.png) [@Mr.Zambezi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Zambezi)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 1999, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-extra-long-pinkie-nails/2904/24 "1999-08-30T18:55:00Z")
My ex wife grew her pinky nail out for one reason…to snort coke. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 1999, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-extra-long-pinkie-nails/2904/25 "1999-08-30T22:16:00Z")
Maybe in other cultures but here in my part of Chicago it means cocaine. Just like I often get stopped on my way to the subway by suburban mothers in SUV’s asking for Humboldt Blvd. Yeah right I know why they want to go there. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-extra-long-pinkie-nails/2904.md?page=1)