In recent months, Paloma Buddemeier has watched a steady stream of customers walk into her nail salon, aiming to look like they've never set foot there.
"It's crazy," said the owner of London's Wumman Spa.
These customers still get their nails done, polished and trimmed. "You're still treating your cuticles, soaking and moisturizing everything," says Badmeier, "but you're not wearing nail polish."
She said the phenomenon was driven by a craze for naked nails that went viral online.
Artistic photos of glossy nude nails have flooded social media and taken over fashion runways and red carpets in recent months, with some seeing them as the latest symbol of quiet luxury.
But critics say the nude-nail trend actually reflects some of the endless cycles of class, beauty standards, and who has the right to define what’s considered “tasteful.”
They say the art of nail art has historical and creative roots that can be traced back to black, Latino and Asian communities, and the perception of bare nails as a symbol of high status could stigmatize bold manicure looks.
"This trend is actually promoting white space, promoting a certain sameness, and erasing the culture and identity that are so important to black and brown communities," beauty journalist Kristina Rodulfo told the BBC.
"Nude nails are often described as elegant or tasteful, and these terms are often euphemisms that glorify white supremacist beauty standards."
But for some, this choice is less about aversion to bold manicures and more about simplifying their daily routine.
Some converts to the nude-nail camp say they are ditching nail polish to rebel against entrenched female beauty standards or to save time and money. Others simply love the look. There are also women who have not taken care of their nails for a long time, and now they find that their habit - or the state of not needing to take care of them - has suddenly become a trend, and they can't help but smile.
nail polish campaign
Irish TV presenter Angela Scanlon has been visiting a nail salon every two weeks for years, a habit she started while living in New York in the 2000s. There, she said, manicures were as common as uniforms. But it quickly became a chore.
Scanlon paints his nails every other week with everything from thin, glossy gel polish to the more durable Builder In A Bottle gel manicure, rain or shine.
"I'm not thinking: 'I have to go because Dave in Hull won't like it if I don't get a full set of manicures when I go on This Morning next week,'" the Radio 2 presenter said. "I just added it to the list of 'things we have to do'... like washing our hair."
Eventually, in a moment of enlightenment, Scanlon decided not to go anymore to free up time and energy.
"I hear myself saying to people, 'Oh my gosh, I need to get my nails done.'"
"Then I thought: 'I probably don't need to do this anymore.'"
Earlier this year, Scanlon went viral on Substack and Instagram after her post about giving up her constant manicure routine. She seemed to have touched a sensitive nerve.
Minimalist nails were in the spotlight at New York Fashion Week in February, with brands like Marc Jacobs sending models out in polish-free looks, although some fashion insiders believe it's nothing new.
However, beauty magazines have declared that "all stylish women are quietly giving up manicures", "naked nails are the new status symbol of "refined women"", and "manicures are no longer high-end."
There are also endless posts on Instagram and TikTok promoting glossy, natural-looking nails and detailing how to create them yourself. This look is so hyped that some people go full circle and book salon services to copy it.
At Wumman Spa, some of Badmeier's clients sit in the chair for hours while the manicurist creates extremely realistic fake nails—sheer, glossy nudes, like those worn by Zoe Kravitz and Zendaya.
Londoner Khadija said she once loved intricate nail art but switched to nude nails earlier this year.
"It's just very stylish. I like less is more, I like minimalism...less consumerism, more self-care that you can do at home."
Her friend Emmanuella reluctantly joined the trend due to the rising cost of living. "It's so expensive to get your nails done now," she said.
"I think it's tacky to get your nails done now because who has an hour to waste?" one 25-year-old woman told the BBC, adding: "And I lift weights in the gym and I don't want to break my nails and waste money."
But others believe there’s something more sinister behind the trend — or the way some people talk about it.
cultural significance
Fashion journalist Suzanne E. Shapiro says that as long as manicure has been around, it has been quietly sending messages about the wearer's social status.
"The female body - and the sense of self-presentation - has always carried huge political and cultural significance," Shapiro, author of Nails: The Story of The Modern Manicure, told the BBC.
As early as the 13th century Chinese Empire, the long nails of nobles and the intricately carved brass armor sheaths usually used to protect their nails were symbols of a life without physical labor.
In the 1800s, one coat of rose-colored waxy nail polish was a sign of vitality and health, but in an era when cosmetics and artificial beauty were linked to virtue, two coats were a sign of a vain or "loose" woman.
The red household nail polish introduced by Revlon in the early 1930s became a badge of honor for modern women to resist oppressive judgment.
But historians say it was women of color who truly made manicure an accessible and fashionable form of self-expression.
Entertainer Josephine Baker, disco superstars Diana Ross and Donna Summer, and Olympic gold medal sprinter Florence Griffith-Joyner—whose eye-catching acrylic nails often caused headline writers to overlook her record-setting achievements—were all pioneers in the art of nail art.
"In those days, it was difficult for black women to express themselves," celebrity manicurist Celeste Hampton told the BBC.
"[Nail art] allows black women to express our softness, our femininity, our beauty."
And when waves of Vietnamese refugees gave birth to nail salons in the 1970s, professional manicures were no longer just for the rich.
But as with many luxury goods, Rodulfo said, as manicures became more common and accessible to the masses, the rich began to switch away - a textbook example of a behavior known as "counter signaling."
“Just like logo handbags are seen as tacky and quiet luxury is more desirable, naked nails are now seen as trendy.
"Those examples are almost always white women or celebrities... (and) they often confuse class and taste with that 'nothingness.'"
"We're taking away the fun of nails... Anyone should be able to dress up however they want - nail polish or bare nails," she said. "Why are there arguments? Why are there grievances?"
Scanlon was also a little confused.
"For me, it's just to stop judging myself and others," she said. "Some people like to have their nails done, some people don't.
"I guess the question I ask is: Does it do anything practical for you?"
"The truth is: it's not that profound."
