By Chioma Okezie-Okeh and Damilola Fatunmise
A middle-aged woman was seen in a Lagos restaurant struggling to stabilise her cutlery and feed herself from a plate of steaming Eba and Okro soup. Her artificial nails, which were quite long, made it impossible. Frustrated, she drank her water and told the waitress that she was full.
An observer who noticed her frustration beckoned to the waiter to pack the food for her, but she hissed and said, “It’s still the same. I forget that I have long nails.”
She was referring to her artificial nails, false nails, Fashion nails, acrylic nails, nail extension or nail enhancement which are different names of the extensions placed over finger nails as fashion accessories. Both young and old women seem to be obsessed with this fashion trend despite how uncomfortable it looks.
Saturday Sun sought to know how some of these women cope with their daily chores and personal hygiene. Many women, who claimed that they could not do without fixing nails, said that there were always ways to get things done without using their fingers.
Washing clothes, plates now difficult
Yetunde Bakare is an actress. She said with the help of domestic servants and relatives, her daily chores are always attended to in spite of her long artificial nails. “My nails are kind of moderate and I am used to it although I do not do laundry by myself. All I do is cook and sometimes others do it.”
Another actress, Miss Zainab Bakare, said she’s already used to having long nails and can be said to be an expert in managing her nails no matter the length. “I try as much as possible to make my nails comfortable. I try to avoid nails with stones so it won’t stop me from doing some certain things. And because I am used to making nails, I know how to manage them to do my chores.”
Cynthia who owns a boutique in Lagos said she builds her confidence by looking good. “I like when people stare at me because of how good I look. It’s the trend and I don’t see anything wrong about it. I have a dish washer that takes care of my plates and a house help to ensure that the pots and other chores are attended to
“Even in her absence, I have a standard washing machine, the one that washes, rinse and dry the cloth. It is not a big deal and I have a driver too. The fact is that I love looking good and this finger nails must look up to standard. It’s my life, my fingers and my money, so haters should stay away.”
A nursing mother simply identified as Nnenna, who works as a hotel receptionist, told Saturday Sun that she had gotten used to the nails, noting that it does not affect her son who is just 18 months.
“When I gave birth to my son who is 18 months, my mother-in law forced me to pull off the nails. But that lasted till my son was four months and my mother in-law left. I got a nanny and got my beauty back. Even with the nails, I can bathe my child. It’s just that I cannot change his diapers. I can bathe for myself and use sponge to wash my private parts. It’s easy when you get used to it. I work in a five-star hotel as a receptionist and I need to look good for the sake of our customers. It’s my total look that got me the job, so I need to maintain it. Most importantly my husband has no issue with it. He loves the way I look and have contributed severally for my beauty sessions,” she stated.
With long nails, eating amala and catfish no longer easy
Kemi is a student of the Lagos State University and although she would love to eat her native dishes with her fingers, fixing long nails would rather remain her top priority. Her words: “The only thing I miss is using my fingers to mould my amala which tastes better when you use your fingers. I no longer waste money buying the head of a catfish from restaurants. It’s waste of money if not properly dissected. It has its own special taste but because of lifestyle and the kind of job that I do, I need to look smart always.
“It has helped me to control my weight because I find it difficult to cook and not spoil my nails. I rarely cook because there is no one that will wash the pots for me. I can use a running tap by applying much pressure on it but that does not work with our pots. I simply stay away from cooking since I am too young to hire a nanny.
“To scratch is even a serious challenge. I bought a permanent long plastic fork that I use to scratch because I end up wounding myself if I tried using my nails. I can write properly with these long nails so it is not affecting me in school. It’s not easy but it’s what makes us beautiful. Sometimes when I am very sick, I opt for the removable ones in case I have need to go outside.”
It’s just a show
Oluchi, a business woman, said she ensures that she does not miss out on her house chores by making use of removable ones. “All these things are fake and removable. At home, I simply remove everything, including eyelashes and all this heavy makeup. I love scrubbing every part of my body very well. I don’t joke with my eba and okro soup; you need your fingers to enjoy such food. Most importantly, I am living with my grandmother who is 84 and needs attention. It’s the trend and there is nothing wrong in looking good for once. Those who call me a witch are the real witches and I don’t care,” she stated.
Not for men
Bunmi insists that her choice to fix long nails has nothing to do with wooing men. “There is no big deal there; I can eat eba very well. My nails serve as fork. It’s my choice and it makes me look good. I don’t wear it because of a man but the satisfaction that I am looking good. Men hate such nails because they believe such a woman will not be domesticated or she can harm them when they misbehave. So, this is not about them but my desire to look good. I have bad nails that are stunted and they do not look good even with polish. But with artificial nails, they look much better. The event also determines the length of nails. If it is a high-profile event, the longer the better but if it’s a family event, it is better to be moderate so that your family people will not conclude that you are irresponsible.
“I make use of laundry services whenever I have to wear such nails for long. You can’t even squeeze water from a cloth even if your washing machine does the washing. I am 25 years and I pray to meet a man that will allow me look beautiful and not force me into house chores that will make me look older than my age. It’s the trend and we are not complaining.”