Ok, let's get more real.
A few weeks back I decided to start wearing nail polish.
It’s something I’ve been thinking about a for a long time, and after talking about it with Jo and a few people I care about, I just decided to start doing it. Jo helped me paint, and in fact I'm using all her stuff still. It's a look that I think is bold and looks cool on cisdudes like myself. I don’t think it’s THAT strange, especially in 2018. I also had a side goal of it helping me get a grip on my nail biting, as a kind of last-stand, "if-this-doesn't-help-it-nothing-will."
And I can report that not only has it been the best solution ever in the nail biting department, but I also love it. I like the way my hands look when i wash my hands, when i’m typing on the keyboard. When I’m using my phone, when I’m playing guitar and holding the steering wheel. I love that it is some low key gender fuckery and a statement.
I also love that I see them constantly. It's interesting how so many of the things we do to look a certain way and present ourselves to the world, you don't actually see on yourself very often: only in mirrors or selfies or what have you. You see your own hands all damn day long.
Not gonna lie, I was hella nervous about starting this. I was worried about what people would say or think of me. This is a very Austin place to be. To simultaneously want to do something different and out of the ordinary, but also not be judged for it. It turns out my fears were mostly unfounded, reception hasn't been that big of a deal, on the whole I'd say it's actually been pretty positive. Yay.
After only a few days, I got a random compliment on them from a cashier at No Frills. They just said they liked my nails. I was so surprised, all I said was "oh, thank you!" and moved on. I wished I could have communicated how much that meant to me at that time.
Welp, the universe eventually delivered on this front. The other day, a server at a pub complimented me on my nails. It caught me off guard again, in much the same way as before. This time would be different though.
I thanked her again for the compliment while settling up. I told her it that it was something new for me, that I had been thinking about it for a long time and only recently decided I would go for it, so her words meant a great deal. She told me she thought that was really cool of me, that she liked them, that they were really well done and asked if I had done them myself or got them done somewhere. I told her I did them myself and that this was only my second time. She said that wasn't fair. Hahaha. I told her that my first time was really bad, (Clarification, Jo helped a lot with my left hand, it was good, but I did my right hand all on my own. It was bad.) but I took a lot of notes on how to improve for this time. She told me her ex did it occasionally, but they were super shitty looking. Mine made her want to paint her own nails again. I re-iterated my appreciation for her kind words and before leaving she told me with a nod, "They look badass."
Well, boopity boop. ππππππππππππ
Next up, eyeliner. JK. Maybe.
A few weeks back I decided to start wearing nail polish.
It’s something I’ve been thinking about a for a long time, and after talking about it with Jo and a few people I care about, I just decided to start doing it. Jo helped me paint, and in fact I'm using all her stuff still. It's a look that I think is bold and looks cool on cisdudes like myself. I don’t think it’s THAT strange, especially in 2018. I also had a side goal of it helping me get a grip on my nail biting, as a kind of last-stand, "if-this-doesn't-help-it-nothing-will."
And I can report that not only has it been the best solution ever in the nail biting department, but I also love it. I like the way my hands look when i wash my hands, when i’m typing on the keyboard. When I’m using my phone, when I’m playing guitar and holding the steering wheel. I love that it is some low key gender fuckery and a statement.
I also love that I see them constantly. It's interesting how so many of the things we do to look a certain way and present ourselves to the world, you don't actually see on yourself very often: only in mirrors or selfies or what have you. You see your own hands all damn day long.
Not gonna lie, I was hella nervous about starting this. I was worried about what people would say or think of me. This is a very Austin place to be. To simultaneously want to do something different and out of the ordinary, but also not be judged for it. It turns out my fears were mostly unfounded, reception hasn't been that big of a deal, on the whole I'd say it's actually been pretty positive. Yay.
After only a few days, I got a random compliment on them from a cashier at No Frills. They just said they liked my nails. I was so surprised, all I said was "oh, thank you!" and moved on. I wished I could have communicated how much that meant to me at that time.
Welp, the universe eventually delivered on this front. The other day, a server at a pub complimented me on my nails. It caught me off guard again, in much the same way as before. This time would be different though.
I thanked her again for the compliment while settling up. I told her it that it was something new for me, that I had been thinking about it for a long time and only recently decided I would go for it, so her words meant a great deal. She told me she thought that was really cool of me, that she liked them, that they were really well done and asked if I had done them myself or got them done somewhere. I told her I did them myself and that this was only my second time. She said that wasn't fair. Hahaha. I told her that my first time was really bad, (Clarification, Jo helped a lot with my left hand, it was good, but I did my right hand all on my own. It was bad.) but I took a lot of notes on how to improve for this time. She told me her ex did it occasionally, but they were super shitty looking. Mine made her want to paint her own nails again. I re-iterated my appreciation for her kind words and before leaving she told me with a nod, "They look badass."
Well, boopity boop. ππππππππππππ
Next up, eyeliner. JK. Maybe.
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