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Stars like Harry Styles are making men’s nail art and polish popular, and normalising something seen as for women only until now
- Nail salons are attracting a new clientele – men – and the likes of Chinese rappers Zhou Zhennan and Kris Wu are helping drive the trend in Asia
- ‘Nail art is just another way of self-expression, like tattoos,’ says the co-founder of a Hong Kong salon
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In May, Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox caused quite a stir at the Billboard Music Awards in Los Angeles for their outré appearances and public displays of affection.
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The looks served by the musician-actor, who had dyed his tongue black, and Fox (in a barely-there Mugler dress) were so distracting that you would be forgiven for not noticing that Kelly was also sporting immaculate nail art. A few days later, his talons were unmissable at the iHeartRadio Music Awards.
Machine Gun Kelly is one of a number of famous men leaning into nail art; rapper A$AP Rocky, singers Bad Bunny and Harry Styles, comedian Pete Davidson and model Anwar Hadid have all had their nails painted for fashion campaigns, magazine covers – or simply because they can.
The micro trend is pushing into the mainstream and a growing number of nail salons in the United States and Europe are drawing a new clientele – men who are looking for something different for their hands.
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