With the more people I meet and talk to, not to mention the feedback I’ve gotten from guys who read the column and have began to make changes in their grooming regiments, I’ve realized that this interest crosses over almost all demographics, including guys of all backgrounds, creeds, professions, sexual orientations and, now, ages. Good grooming habits aren’t just for guys of the adult variety, and the open mindedness of youngsters is proving to put some of the more “mature” minds to shame.
“Daddy, his toes are awesome!” My friend Christian was visiting Sea World sporting a pair of flip-flops and metallic blue polish on his toes. Standing by the beluga whale tank was a bright-eyed boy of about 7 years old beaming at the color Christian had painted on. Despite the father’s disapproving glance, Christian thanked the boy for the compliment and said it was the first of a number of notices and compliments that day. If a child can appreciate the color on a guy’s nails, why can’t the rest of us?
This brings me to a story one of my readers led me to which seems to be a reoccurring matter with guys who step outside the “norms” of male grooming and expression. One courageous mother launched the campaign Polish for Patrick after her 6-year-old son was continually getting bullied for showing up to school wearing nail polish, something he says just makes him feel good. Instead of protecting Patrick’s desire to paint his nails and send a message that bullying others for being different is wrong, the school forbade him from wearing polish, saying it was disruptive to the other kids.
His mother Emily decided to show her son that there are people all over the world that know that painting his nails isn’t just OK, it’s fantastic. One of the best things about nail care is the ability to express your personality and individual style, no matter what age or gender you are. In support of Patrick and the guys everywhere who like polish, I’m holding a contest to see who dares to color their nails and show them off to the world.
Enter The Color Dare. I dare all my guy (and girl) readers to send me pictures of their painted fingers or toes, showing anyone can paint their nails and make it their own. I will be choosing one winner who will be featured in a Nailing It instalment as well as score a free NYC pedicure with yours truly*. Give me a little about you and why you chose the color or design you did. You can email all submissions to nailingit@pedicure.com. Contest ends on August 8th.
You should also head over to Polish for Patrick’s Facebook page and upload your polished pictures there to show you support for this exceptional little boy and how he wants to express himself. Creativity and individuality add zest to life. So go get colorful! I dare you.
Check back here every other Friday for more reviews and tips on how guys are NAILING IT when it comes to their grooming.
*Winner must make their way to New York City at their own expense
