# Nail Polish - is it primarily for teens and young adults? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 9, 2012, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nail-polish-is-it-primarily-for-teens-and-young-adults/643516 "2012-12-09T17:33:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2012, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nail-polish-is-it-primarily-for-teens-and-young-adults/643516/21 "2012-12-09T20:42:23Z")
32, I do my nails and toes. I even do funky nails still (like the new magnetic nailpolish I put on last night). My mom is 52 and still does her fingernails every week, and toenails in the summer. Grandma is 90 and she gets a manicure every week. She no longer does her toenails. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2012, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nail-polish-is-it-primarily-for-teens-and-young-adults/643516/22 "2012-12-09T20:48:22Z")
Female, age 37. I haven’t had polish on my fingernails since my sister’s wedding almost ten years ago. I type all day and the upkeep is too much to mess with. But my toes are always done, at least in warm weather. And usually in some funky color. I have this dark green color that I always get tons of compliments on. I do the pedicures myself, I can’t justify spending more money on it. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2012, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nail-polish-is-it-primarily-for-teens-and-young-adults/643516/23 "2012-12-09T21:29:02Z")
Female, age 40 (well, tomorrow.) Both fingers and toes done all the time. I like red - it matches the red lip I wear. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2012, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nail-polish-is-it-primarily-for-teens-and-young-adults/643516/24 "2012-12-09T21:32:18Z")
The older I get, the more I use nail polish. In part because other women have given them to me as gifts, and in part because it is a sure way for me to avoid biting my nails. I’m not interested in biting polish, so keeping the nails trimmed and coated ensure that I won’t bite the nails (in either fingers OR toes). Works most of the time. ---
**Author:** ![andrewbub](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@andrewbub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewbub)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2012, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nail-polish-is-it-primarily-for-teens-and-young-adults/643516/25 "2012-12-09T21:40:51Z")
my SO wears nail polish every day, and usually puts on new polish every day as well. she is 24 ---
**Author:** ![FrancisCastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b4bc9f/32.png) [@FrancisCastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrancisCastle)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2012, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nail-polish-is-it-primarily-for-teens-and-young-adults/643516/26 "2012-12-09T22:45:31Z")
Female 32 I always have polish on my toes, usually some shade of purple is my favorite. I don’t put polish on my fingers because I’m a chronic nailbiter. I would have to pick the polish off so I could get to the nail! It’s a gross habit, but I’ve done it all my life and can’t seem to kick it. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nail-polish-is-it-primarily-for-teens-and-young-adults/643516/27 "2012-12-10T02:30:07Z")
I guess the clear or neutral fingernail polish had me fooled. Maybe more of my coworkers wear polish than I ever realized. It’s not something I’d ever ask them directly. Thanks for the replies. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nail-polish-is-it-primarily-for-teens-and-young-adults/643516/28 "2012-12-10T02:54:47Z")
I’m 55 I couldn’t tell you the last time I wore nail polish, probably not since high school. That had a lot to do with buying a horse. I haven’t had a horse in years but I never got back into wearing polish and I know it sounds stupid but I hate the way it feels my nails. Probably in my head but I swear I can feel the weight of the polish and it’s icky. I’ve never had a manicure nor a pedicure in my life. I’ve thought about getting a manicure, just because my nails are hard and grow fast and are a pain to keep up with. I doubt I’d ever get a pedicure, I hate to have my feet touched. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nail-polish-is-it-primarily-for-teens-and-young-adults/643516/29 "2012-12-10T03:06:52Z")
Yes, toes and fingers (but not all the time), age 43. I always wear toe nail polish if I am wearing shoes where my toes will show. The toe nail on my right big toe is messed up from where a Friesian stepped on it. Trust me, you don’t want to see my bare toenail. As for fingers, I go through phases. If my nails are nice, I will put polish on them sometimes. If I’m in a “biting phase”, there’s no point. Chipped nail polish is worse than bare nails. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nail-polish-is-it-primarily-for-teens-and-young-adults/643516/30 "2012-12-10T03:08:17Z")
Toes all through sandal season. Fingers have been done three times now. Twice this year and once 22 years ago when I was in my brother’s wedding. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nail-polish-is-it-primarily-for-teens-and-young-adults/643516/31 "2012-12-10T06:44:07Z")
Absolutely I wear nail polish, although I need to get some new stuff – my old nail polish was all tacky and I had to get rid of it. For as long as I can remember, my grandmother had long, rock-hard nails that she painted silver. ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nail-polish-is-it-primarily-for-teens-and-young-adults/643516/32 "2012-12-10T09:39:54Z")
In Brazil, having your nails done professionally is very important. I knew people who would forgo food rather than not have their nails done. So when I lived there I’d get my nails done too. It started to feel embarrassing if I went out with my nails all nekkid. It’s funny how culture affects you like that. Normally I’m not girly enough to bother. It seems like a waste of time and money to me. They just chip anyway, after a day and then you end up looking worse than with no polish on. I do my toenails regularly for yoga, because I don’t like my feet looking so…footy. But the polish lasts weeks, so I don’t mind so much. My MIL is a hippy and has never worn nail polish in her whole life 😃 I think it’s awesome. I wish I could just be happy with my feet without stupid nail polish. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nail-polish-is-it-primarily-for-teens-and-young-adults/643516/33 "2012-12-10T09:49:15Z")
Professional women in the Netherlands generally look not too polished. [This is a typical group.](http://www.fi.uu.nl/nl/wiki/leraren/elwier/werkgroep2_groot.jpg)I seldom see them wear bright lip colours or nail colours. Me, I’m 45 and I wear clear nail polish and nail strengthener. I get my toenails done every month in sandal season (june-august). ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nail-polish-is-it-primarily-for-teens-and-young-adults/643516/34 "2012-12-10T10:25:26Z")
The poll needed “toes only.” All the women I know keep their toenails polished-- these are women from age 20’s through 70’s. I’m mid-60’s and always have polished toes. Of course, in Texas we wear sandals a lot. Only a few of the women I know always wear polish on their fingernails. It’s a lot of trouble to keep up, gets chipped easily, etc. Disclaimer: I didn’t read the whole thread. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nail-polish-is-it-primarily-for-teens-and-young-adults/643516/35 "2012-12-10T11:11:35Z")
I’d have voted “No - other” had that option been available. I’m 59 and would wear nail polish if it weren’t for my job (nurse) which precludes such adornment for reasons of infection control. I do wear polish when I’m on annual leave but I can’t be bothered just for my two days off. I don’t wear polish on my toenails for a similar reason - I wear duty shoes five days a week, so a pedicure would be a compete waste of time and/or money. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nail-polish-is-it-primarily-for-teens-and-young-adults/643516/36 "2012-12-10T11:29:40Z")
I don’t know how to properly answer the poll. I wear polish _sometimes_. I’m more likely to have my toes done than my fingers, because it makes me feel like my feet are pretty, and I can hide a fading polish job in my socks. The stuff on my fingernails, no matter how much I pay for it, starts to look like hell after three days and I feel like it needs to come off. For that reason, I rarely do my fingernails. It’s too much hassle to sit there and paint them all, with a couple of coats, and wait for them to dry, when they’re only going to last a couple of days. That said, sometimes I paint them anyway because I’m bored and want to be more sparkly or pink. I’d say that on average, I have paint my fingernails once every couple of months. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nail-polish-is-it-primarily-for-teens-and-young-adults/643516/37 "2012-12-10T11:48:06Z")
I must say I’m surprised that there are people who don’t polish their fingernails because they are nailbiters. To me, that’s precisely why I do it, so that I can control myself and don’t do it. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nail-polish-is-it-primarily-for-teens-and-young-adults/643516/38 "2012-12-10T12:25:28Z")
No poll option for me either - I’m 54 and have worn toenail polish every day of my life since my early 20s. Usually very bold colors, too, and I get pedicures. Right now I’m sporting deep pink with silver polka dots. 🙂 I don’t do my fingernails because I’m a housepainter/decorative painted by trade and my hands get trashed. I keep my nails very short for practical reasons. And because I hate the _feeling_ of long nails…like I can’t properly feel things or use my hands with the nails getting in the way. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nail-polish-is-it-primarily-for-teens-and-young-adults/643516/39 "2012-12-10T15:53:27Z")
I never wear nail polish, but I know lots of, lets say over 40-yr-old, women who do. It’s not primarily for teens and youngsters. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nail-polish-is-it-primarily-for-teens-and-young-adults/643516/40 "2012-12-10T15:59:15Z")
No poll option for my dog? 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nail-polish-is-it-primarily-for-teens-and-young-adults/643516.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nail-polish-is-it-primarily-for-teens-and-young-adults/643516.md?page=3)