Down and dirty

Some months ago, on the interweb, I took note of a demonstration for some product, the exact nature of which failed to make an impression. However, what I do recall is the dirt under the fingernails of the female demonstrator, evident in close-ups of her hands holding and pointing out features on the product.

I remember thinking how peculiar that was, especially as her nails were all of a longer but neatly-trimmed length suggesting otherwise particular care. It seemed further odd that such carelessness had escaped the attention of the videographer shooting in close-up. 

Dirty? Obviously.

I was fully sympathetic with the woman whose hands were at issue. I know how hard it is to keep one’s nails clean. It is common enough for me to wash my hands and clean my nails thoroughly—and then to find them dirty two hours later, even if all I’d done in those two hours was to sit in a chair and watch TV.

In fact, I found it more remarkable that more dirty nails weren’t evident in graphic media; certsinly they are in daily life.

Dirty? Who's to say?

And then, just this weekend, I was sitting around thinking the heavy and important thoughts that tend to occupy my waking hours, and it dawned on me: as much trouble as it is to keep their fingernails painted, women actually must find that practice simpler than keeping the dirt out from under their nails. What’s more, since fingernail polish is traditionally a female prerogative in our culture, it also allows women just one more item to criticize in men—our fingernail hygiene—while escaping that scrutiny themselves.

What? Too silly? Well, what were you thinking about this weekend?

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