(Note: very weird and trivial but maddening workplace question here)
- Recently finished grad school and got my first proper gig working on a project in a pretty corporate scenario.
Last week as I was pointing to some details on the drawing set that the whole project team was sitting around - and I realised my nails looked awful . Not dirty per se, but rough enough to be embarrassing and to make me point with a pen for the remainder of the meeting.
Everyone noticed and recoiled at the thought of having such a ragamuffin at the table, or so i felt. probably no one noticed and I'm just paranoid.
Either way, What's the deal here? Do most women have the nails 'done' for client meetings ? Should I be doing manicures ? Dude I don't even own nail polish.
There's enough gendered weirdness in this industry, and I don't know If I should be rocking fire engine red nails, embracing my femininity bla bla or If I should keep things clean and simple and more or less androgynous ? I'm as clean as the next person - this is not a hygiene question - just a feeler to see if there's some fashion memo I never got . ....
I stopped painting my nails while in architecture school. Just trim them short, no polish. I try to keep my cuticles neat, but I use my hands a LOT, for lots of dirty things - the days of Scarlett O'Hara being able to tell if a woman was a Lady by her hands are long over.
But truthfully, go ahead and always use a pen to point to things, not your fingers. Much safer and less distracting. I've never given a presentation with drawings without using a pen to point.
just keep 'em filed so they're not too long. no need for polish unless that's you .. just be yourself. maybe get a nail buffer to smooth out any ridges and that'll give a little polished look to them. yeah just keep it clean and simple.
i sometimes get the same feeling when i'm pointing at things after i've been working hard and i've got some scrapes or something and i get a little self-conscious so don't worry, definitely not a weird question. and i play classical guitar so my right hand nails are a little less than 1/16" past my fingertips (and i'm a boy!) so people probably think that's a little weird. i try to point with my left hand oh well c'est la vie @'~
I stopped painting my nails while in architecture school. Just trim them short, no polish. I try to keep my cuticles neat, but I use my hands a LOT, for lots of dirty things - the days of Scarlett O'Hara being able to tell if a woman was a Lady by her hands are long over.
But truthfully, go ahead and always use a pen to point to things, not your fingers. Much safer and less distracting. I've never given a presentation with drawings without using a pen to point.
Either way, What's the deal here? Do most women have the nails 'done' for client meetings ? Should I be doing manicures ?
I present to you, the french manicure. This one is even applicable to the men. If you're really worried about the appearance of your hands, just use a fleshy colored nail polish on them and paint the ends white.
Although I'm not entirely sure what people do in architectural school, almost everyone in art school painted their nails, men included, with at least clear nail polish. It keeps your nails from splitting, adds a slight bit of protection and prevents ink, dye and paint from permanently staining your nails.
nails ( the other kind )
(Note: very weird and trivial but maddening workplace question here)
- Recently finished grad school and got my first proper gig working on a project in a pretty corporate scenario.
Last week as I was pointing to some details on the drawing set that the whole project team was sitting around - and I realised my nails looked awful . Not dirty per se, but rough enough to be embarrassing and to make me point with a pen for the remainder of the meeting.
Everyone noticed and recoiled at the thought of having such a ragamuffin at the table, or so i felt. probably no one noticed and I'm just paranoid.
Either way, What's the deal here? Do most women have the nails 'done' for client meetings ? Should I be doing manicures ? Dude I don't even own nail polish.
There's enough gendered weirdness in this industry, and I don't know If I should be rocking fire engine red nails, embracing my femininity bla bla or If I should keep things clean and simple and more or less androgynous ? I'm as clean as the next person - this is not a hygiene question - just a feeler to see if there's some fashion memo I never got . ....
1 Featured Comment
I stopped painting my nails while in architecture school. Just trim them short, no polish. I try to keep my cuticles neat, but I use my hands a LOT, for lots of dirty things - the days of Scarlett O'Hara being able to tell if a woman was a Lady by her hands are long over.
But truthfully, go ahead and always use a pen to point to things, not your fingers. Much safer and less distracting. I've never given a presentation with drawings without using a pen to point.
All 4 Comments
just keep 'em filed so they're not too long. no need for polish unless that's you .. just be yourself. maybe get a nail buffer to smooth out any ridges and that'll give a little polished look to them. yeah just keep it clean and simple.
i sometimes get the same feeling when i'm pointing at things after i've been working hard and i've got some scrapes or something and i get a little self-conscious so don't worry, definitely not a weird question. and i play classical guitar so my right hand nails are a little less than 1/16" past my fingertips (and i'm a boy!) so people probably think that's a little weird. i try to point with my left hand oh well c'est la vie @'~
I stopped painting my nails while in architecture school. Just trim them short, no polish. I try to keep my cuticles neat, but I use my hands a LOT, for lots of dirty things - the days of Scarlett O'Hara being able to tell if a woman was a Lady by her hands are long over.
But truthfully, go ahead and always use a pen to point to things, not your fingers. Much safer and less distracting. I've never given a presentation with drawings without using a pen to point.
Either way, What's the deal here? Do most women have the nails 'done' for client meetings ? Should I be doing manicures ?
I present to you, the french manicure. This one is even applicable to the men. If you're really worried about the appearance of your hands, just use a fleshy colored nail polish on them and paint the ends white.
Although I'm not entirely sure what people do in architectural school, almost everyone in art school painted their nails, men included, with at least clear nail polish. It keeps your nails from splitting, adds a slight bit of protection and prevents ink, dye and paint from permanently staining your nails.
ya, cleanly scrubbed and point with a pen . . . maybe give my pen a manicure.
thnx all.
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