Kylie may strut her stuff like she invented fashion, but newsflash: Latinas have been rocking her style since the 90s. She’s taken more than a leaf out of the Latina style book.
We’re currently in the thick of summertime and you know what that means: sun’s out, toes out. And this year, the toenails are looking quite a bit different than usual. That’s right, the newest trend lighting up Instagram is one we never thought we’d see: extra-long toenail pedicures.
Fortunately for us, the toenails that are catching the most attention are super-manicured and appear to be acrylics. That means the length isn’t due to neglecting a toenail clipper (thank god), but due to paying someone to make the toenails longer with a little glue and some press-ons. So next time you take a trip to the nail salon, think about asking for the newest beauty trend: long toenail acrylics. You’re sure to be the coolest girl on the block.
We’ve compiled some of the most popular looks to offer you some inspiration.
We’ll start off gently
@7eetout/Instagram
Yes, these toenails are long, but they’re relatively mild compared to what you’re about to see. This is the standard look for the long-toenail trend. The color is solid, the shape is square, and the length isn’t so long that you can automatically spot them as acrylics.
These ones are a little more intense
@paints_his_toes/Instagram
It’s not the big toe that’s the most surprising of this look, but rather, the length of the small toes. It appears that this woman invested in acrylics for her small toes because, as we know, growing out your smaller toenails usually just ends in a lot of painful in-growns.
These big toes look suspiciously like duck bills
@7eetout/Instagram
We can’t say we’re a fan of these ones. While the previous looks (mostly) kept their biggest toes on the more natural side, these ones are so freakishly long that they’re obviously not home-grown. No one’s big toenail can get that long without curling over!
This is about as mainstream as the “long toenail trend” gets:
@tenlittlebeauties/Instagram
Here we have a perfectly lovely pair of feet (never thought I would write that sentence) with medium-long lengths for all her toenails. Yes, the length is a little longer than mainstream, but you wouldn’t be shocked to see these on the street. It’s also worth mentioning that this is one of the few pairs of feet not rocking toe rings, so it seems this person favors a more conservative look.
The long French pedicure
@7eetout/Instagram
The people who say French manicures are making a comeback probably didn’t have this in mind. The number one rule of a classy French manicure is that the white tips aren’t longer than the pink base. It’s a no from us, dawg.
The “Real Housewife” Look:
@7eetout/Instagram
Although this acrylic pedicure is pretty shocking up close, we could actually totally see it on a wealthy, married woman of a certain age.
Long and round pedicure
@inspire73/Instagram
Here’s a look that deviates from most of the other looks. While the other women seemed to opt for a squared-off look, this woman decided on rounded toenails. This is definitely one of the more unique pedicures we’ve ever seen. But of course, there’s more…
The bird talons
@brittanybubbleass/Instagram
The sheer length, width, and curve of these toenails are downright shocking. But what’s more shocking is about the number of fans this look has. The comments on this look’s post are very complimentary, to put it lightly.
The white claws:
@7eetout/Instagram
Although we love the look of a white pedicure, they’re not known for longevity. Unlike nudes, pinks, or other more neutral colors, a white pedicure can become ruined really quickly because the chips are so noticeable. We’re sure that long toenails expedite the chip-factor.
This pedicure looks like it would scrape the ground while walking
@7eetout/Instagram
You know your toenails are too long when they hang off the side of your open-toed sandals. It’s pictures like these that make us remember why short toenails are the go-to standard. They’re more livable and more convenient! This pedicure looks like it would be chipped by the sidewalk just from a brief walk.
The long red look seems to be the go-to style for pedicure acrylics
@kamichrom/Instagram
The reasoning behind that would make sense. Anyone who’s spending the time and money to make their toenails that long would definitely want them to stand out. And red polish is just another way to bring people’s eye-line down to your feet!
And finally, the long-nailed pedicure look that takes the cake:
@nail_sunny
If you were shocked by any of the previous ones, then this one is sure to send you over the edge. We’re not quite sure why anyone would be interested in getting toenail acrylics like this. But one simple Instagram search proves that there’s a market for this look.
Latina women struggle with workplace equality, imposter syndrome and feeling as if we don’t belong in certain institutions, and we’re also constantly told to shrink ourselves in order to not make others (read: white people) uncomfortable with our Latinidad. Another policing of our identities and how we navigate the workplace and the world is when others tell us what to wear or not wear.
None of this is okay and Latina women deserve more respect and freedom to be our unapologetic selves.
NBC/MSNBC correspondent Mariana Atencio wrote in her new book that an unnamed female manager told her not to dress “too Latina” for the White House Correspondents Dinner in 2017.
In her book, Venezuela-born reporter Mariana Atencio says she received a phone call from a female manager who told her not to look "too Latina" when choosing an outfit to wear to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 2017. https://t.co/XPQvKSYxKB
According to Newsweek, the manager told Atencio that she should dress more like Ivanka Trump. In her new book, Perfectly You: Embracing the Power of Being Real, Atencio writes about how happy she was to represent the Latinx community and how proud she was to have a seat at the table, “literally and figuratively.”
She also writes about the encounter she had with the unnamed female manager who gave her a call before the White House Correspondents Dinner and asked what she planned to wear to the dinner.
“It was a weird phone call—with an even weirder request,” Atencio writes. ” ‘Why do you ask?’ I replied. ‘Please don’t look too Latina.’ At first, I thought I didn’t hear correctly. ‘I beg your pardon?’ I asked. ‘When you pick your outfit, I mean. Don’t look too Latina.'”
“I felt offended. Outrage and indignation hit me at once… This person was making me feel smaller and smaller with each word. Can you imagine someone in your field asking you to please not look so African American? Or Asian? Or white? Don’t look so Muslim or Christian? How do you change who you are?,” Atencio wrote.
However, according to Atencio—the manager didn’t stop there with her unsolicited fashion advice. She went on to advise Atencio to go to Saks Fifth Avenue “and have someone help you out.” The female manager told Atencio, “‘Have them pick out something demure. Not too colorful or tight. Think Ivanka Trump, OK?'”
First of all, how do you dress “too Latina”? If that’s the case, should we stoop to the same level and say, “Ivanka, can you dress a little less like the complicit daughter of a racist commander in chief”?
According to a statement given to USA Today, MSNBC called the manager’s comments “highly inappropriate and unacceptable. More than a year and a half later, when it was first brought to a manager’s attention, immediate action was taken. Since this is an HR matter and there are privacy concerns, we won’t go into greater detail.”
1. In MSNBC/NBC correspondent @marianaatencio's book, she says that an unnamed woman manager at MSNBC/NBC told her not to dress "too Latina," to the White House Correspondents Dinner.
Then they said that she should dress like Ivanka Trump.
In an interview with NBC News, the award-winning Venezuelan correspondent spoke about the incident and shared more lessons of inclusivity and diversity as well as what she hopes the book will achieve. The Latina immigrant journalist and author began her career in Venezuela and talked about what it was like being one of the first Latina journalists on air when she first began her career.
“When I first started, it was more of, ‘How can we tone this down?’ But with time it was realizing that in fact, I had to be more myself,” Atencio said.
She goes on to say that she wanted to include the anecdote in her memoir not to focus on the negative but to remind readers that “these things still happen. We have to call them out and have conversations as adults about how to get past them.”
People on social media shared their own experiences about going through something similar to what Atencio went through.
Yes. I can relate & it’s time to end the racist stereotypes – MSNBC reporter Mariana Atencio: Boss told me 'don't look too Latina' https://t.co/rT3egghiMg
We’re glad men in the industry are also bringing to light this discriminatory and dangerous stereotype against Latina women and the Latinx community in general.
Latinx film critic Yolanda Machado also shared that she’s been told to not “go all Latina” in reference to getting upset over something in the workplace.
I've been told this, as well as told "don't go all Latina" in reference to getting upset over something. Most of these are followed by "I don't see color, but…" or "I don't mean you, of course, but…"
“Most of these are followed by ‘I don’t see color, but…’ or ‘I don’t mean you, of course, but…'” she tweeted. “Racist. Racist. RACIST.”
We applaud Mariana Atencio for including this in her memoir in order to work toward a future where Latina women in the workplace don’t have to undergo this type of behavior from others.
“The message of my book is that you, too (readers) can make it. By sharing my journey, I hope to inspire (others) on their journey,” Atencio said of her memoir.
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