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Infinity on our fingertips

Chenoa Baker

Acrylics worn by the artist Wavy Wednesday in her studio. Nails by Kamela Gissendanner.

When nail extensions first appeared in Africa, as early as 3,000 BCE, they were worn by royalty, and made from ivory, gold, or bone. They are still status symbols today but are typically made of methacrylate. This “hardy and scratch-resistant” polymer also has other applications: in dental contexts, ophthalmological prosthetics, and some household items. In the hands of diasporic communities, though, the material becomes couture: coveted, colorful, curlicue, and cuticle-extending.

Jillian Hernandez, author of Aesthetics of Excess: The Art and Politics of Black and Latina Embodiment, writes of “the improvisational nature necessary for building Black creative traditions.” Nail art, a true form of wearable sculpture, exemplifies this idea. Beginning in the 1970s, acrylics bloomed in Black and Latine glam as a mode of self-expression and a bottom-up beauty standard. As we do: nail art suggests a luxurious life for the wearer, the manicured look serving as a daily denial of manual labor and its occupational hazards.

Decorated nails of Sha’carri Richardson are seen after the Women’s 4 x 100m Relay final during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Paris (France), August 09, 2024. Team United States placed first, winning the gold medal, 2024. Insidefoto / Alamy.

Somewhere along the line, nails went from natural-looking trompe l'oeil to aestheticized departures from reality. Acrylics were celebrated as markers of beauty and subjected to critique based on respectability politics; they were “hoochie mama,” “ghetto fabulous,” “Chola” or “Chonga.” Donyale Luna, a Black model who appeared on the cover of Vogue in 1966, sported light pink, almond-shaped acrylics obscuring most of her face, except for her elegant cat-eye mascara. The style informed the fashion of disco divas Donna Summer and Diana Ross.

A mainstream crossover occurred in 1987, when larger-than-life sartorialist Dolly Parton sang an acapella duet with Patti LaBelle, playing their nails as Zydeco washboards, demonstrating their surprising percussive potential. Acrylics also became a signature of hip hop and gangsta rap; Lil’ Kim’s ’93 “Get Money” music video featured a custom set by Bernadette Thompson known as the “money manicure” (collected by MoMA in 2017). Dollar bills encased in resin and stuck onto the nails; with accented “party nails” of green rhinestones and gold spokes.

Extreme nail art also appeared in other cultural touchstones such as America’s Next Top Model. In one episode, the contestants take beauty shots with spider-like lashes, bling, and live arachnids, showcasing infinite avant-garde potential (Eva Marcelle, season three winner, could be said to have “nailed it”). In 2015, Anna Goswami, a college student in London at the time, designed a couture collection of dresses made entirely of hand-painted nails, giving the garments a durable chain-mail look.

Such artistic ventures aside, acrylic nails keep shapeshifting thanks to the ingenuity and versatility of professional technicians, who push boundaries with everything from “glitzy hardware” chains to snow-globe-like glitter to reusable clip-on nail rings that can be taken off for prayer. These materials can also be useful for household cosmetic changes: nail acrylics and extenders can fix bathroom tiles, make spackle, and varnish cheap jewelry, with the clear coat preventing tarnish.

Extension options at most nail salons include Gel-X, Polygel, and Dipping Powder, which offer various extensions and sculpting options. Gel-X makes a flexible nail through a build-up of polish on top of the extension; Dipping Powder is applied to the natural nail, then covered with a sealant; Polygels are softer, and are sculpted with a gelatinous substance that is cured under LED or UV lamps. When it comes time to remove the nail, it can be loosened with acetone or ground away with a barrel nail bit.

Nails can be a significant financial investment: already $50 for a mani-pedi in the ‘70s, and up to $400 territory today, with customizations. What started as home beatification and underground styling has transformed into a thriving and highly professionalized multi-billion-dollar industry. After years of longing, I got my first acrylic set in my 20s. The wait was worth it. Since I bought them with my expendable income, I could customize them to my liking, indulging in self-expression that makes me proud. (It also means I could spend uninterrupted time with a manicurist, a form of self-care.)

Acrylics make for a polished, finished look, a projection of social status. Missy Elliot raps, “If you a fly girl, get your nails done, get a pedicure, get your hair did.” Both literally and figuratively, nail art is an extension of flyness: an accessible, culturally-affirming form of glam.

Chenoa Baker (she/her) is a curator, writer, professor, and descendant of self-emancipators. She has contributed to major exhibitions including Simone Leigh and Simone Leigh: Sovereignty, Gio Swaby: Fresh Up, and Touching Roots: Black Ancestral Legacies in the Americas. In recognition of her curatorial work, she received the wbur Maker Award and was featured on npr’s All Things Considered in 2024. In 2023, she won the aica Young Art Critics Prize for her writing. She writes for Hyperallergic, The Brooklyn Rail, Public Parking, and Studio Potter, among others.