If You’re Not Following @BlkGirlNailfies, WYED??
Go grab your phone (kidding—I know you're already on it), open up IG, search for #blkgirlnailfies, and start scrolling through the 6,000+ posts. The endless photos and “nailfies” showcasing beautiful Black and brown skin, immaculately manicured hands, and MoMA-worthy nail art...it’s all thanks to @BlkGirlNailfies.
@BlkGirlNailfies was founded in 2020 by three nail-obsessed creatives—Hana Javelle, Tyra A. Seals, and Imani Aldridge—as a place to share images of nails in all different shapes and lengths, with hues and designs that are equal parts unique, trendy, and eye-catching. Three years later, @BlkGirlNailfies has grown their handle to include nearly 8,000 followers, but they've proven to be so much more than just another nailspo or mani trend account. Ultimately, @BlkGirlNailfies is a community focused on re-centering Black women in the nail world, and if you take a look at their engagement and the comments on their posts, it’s clear that this type of for us, by us space is exactly what so many people have been craving.
This type of community also plays a critical role in the fight against cultural appropriation. Despite an ongoing conversation about the need to better acknowledge Black women and femmes as pioneers in the nail space, news outlets and influencers are still crediting white celebrities like Hailey Bieber and Kylie Jenner as the "creators" or "innovators" behind popular styles such as chrome nails and long, acrylic sets. The presence, growth, and continued recognition of accounts like @BlkGirlNailfies are essential in shifting this white-washed narrative.
I was lucky enough to sit down with the three founders of @BlkGirlNailfies to discuss all of this and more. Ahead, Javelle, Seals, and Aldridge reflect on how it started, how it’s going, what they're cooking up for the future, and why the end goal is—and always will be—more representation and celebration of Black women.
It’s been a few years since you’ve started the @BlkGirlNailfies account. What were y’all’s expectations going into the project and how has that aligned with the reality?
Tyra A. Seals: I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we did not expect the initial interest. We weren’t thinking that nobody would care, of course, but we didn’t think that @BlkGirlNailfies would garner thousands of followers overnight and lots of press features and things like that so quickly.
It was clear that people were immediately interested in what we were doing—to disrupt this very white perception of nail color and nail art as it’s been shown through social media. @BlkGirlNailfies represents the fact that we, Black women, created this culture and we’re the ones who power it. We also set out to just create ease for Black women and femmes who want to get their nails done and want to be able to see themselves and see certain designs on themselves without having to do so much work because the visual isn’t there. I think we’ve had success with that considering how quickly our community has grown.
Talk to me about this community that you’ve built over the past three years.
Hana Javelle: I think the nail community among Black women has always been there—whenever we talk to other Black women, it’s, like, "Yeah, I have this distinct memory of going to the nail salon with my mom or my aunt" or whoever—but we’ve just brought it online. It's an easy community to identify with too—nails and nail art are universally loved and when you come to our page, it’s clear this is what we’re all about, this is what stand for.
Why did you all choose to use Instagram to launch @BlkGirlNailfies as opposed to, say, Twitter or Pinterest?
Imani Aldridge: When we initially launched, starting this community on IG made the most sense because it is a platform that primarily focuses on imagery—whether that be in the form of a picture or a video. At the time, TikTok wasn’t as prominent as it is now, but we’re definitely looking forward to expanding our community across different mediums and platforms.
You all have other jobs and responsibilities—has it been hard to make this account happen on top of everything else?
Javelle: I feel like it’s never been stressful or like, "Oh, I gotta do this thing," because it comes second nature. I compare it to being an athlete—going to your trainings and warm-ups wouldn’t be this huge or stressful thing because it’s just part of the gig. This account is an extension of ourselves, an extension of how we show up in this world and how we show up in society. It’s a form of self-expression, so none of it has felt stressful.
I think it’s one of the benefits of building a community too. We are all nail girls and we all want to up the level of representation on social media, so when there’s this shared interest and everyone is equally invested, things seem like less of a chore. Obviously there are logistics. Everyone has their posting days and we split up sourcing and content, but all of it has just felt, like, very streamlined, so that’s been a blessing itself.
Many people save inspiration from Instagram and then re-create a similar look, but they don’t always credit the original influencer when they post their own pic. How do you all encourage your followers to give credit where it’s due?
Seals: We lead by example. Whether it’s a TikTok or a Reel or a classic post, we take every opportunity to tag the original creator—usually the nail tech. If we happen to come across the client first, we do a bit of digging to see if we can find the artist who did the set.
I especially love when we feature a set, credit the original nail tech, and the tech is really appreciative and they comment and share to their Stories and whatnot. This account is for gathering inspo, yes, but as Black women, we care about the Black women who are making these nails happen, so it always nice to celebrate them and give them as much publicity as possible. We want them to feel supported and appreciated and we want to give them a platform in however way we can so that always is top of mind.
When you founded the account in 2020, the nation was going through a period of racial reckoning. Since then, I’ve noticed some people losing interest in the Black- and BIPOC-owned brands they once cared about. I’m wondering if you all have seen any waning interest or engagement?
Seals: I don’t feel like we’ve had any major changes in engagement. Nails are quite literally always relevant and always top of mind for a lot of people—regardless of the cultural or political climate—so I feel like it hasn’t changed. And remember, Black women have been wearing nails like this forever—it's not new or a "trend" for us.
There’s been another discussion of late about nail art and cultural appropriation. Do your followers typically view Black women as the originators of certain nail trends? If not, do you feel like the account educates them?
Seals: Our followers are educated about nails, and we believe that they view Black women as the originators of long, intricately designed nails as a whole. A good bit of our community grew up similarly to us in terms of seeing our mothers, grandmothers, and aunties always having beautiful nails, so this idea of nail art and ornate sets isn’t really a trend at all.
We do try to do specific posts that pay homage to Black women like Patti LaBelle, Foxy Brown, Lil' Kim, and Missy Elliot who kept their nails done to remind our followers and the larger community that Black women have been at the center of the nail conversation for decades.
Have you all seen a change in the nail community from when you launched to now? To your knowledge, are there more accounts that center representation and community?
Javelle: We feel that the nail community is constantly changing, largely because of social media, so it’s tricky to pinpoint changes across the whole thing. But we do love creators like @BrownGirlHands—even though the concept is as niche as hand modeling, it’s a necessary platform and point-of-view in the beauty space. When it comes to beauty and representation, there really is room for everyone to bring something fresh to the table and thrive.
What about in the beauty space as a whole? What other creators or brands are cultivating community around representation and doing it well?
Aldridge: @BlackGirlsSmellGood, @NakedBeautyPlanet, @Studio.Symone, @TheBlackBeautyClub are some of our absolute favorite accounts—go follow them!!
What advice would you give to Black women in beauty who are trying to make it as creators and create meaningful change in the beauty industry?
Javelle: One of the first things I would say is: Don’t try to do it on your own. I think, especially in Western culture, we have this weird obsession with wanting to do everything individually—and why?! You literally can’t always make big things happen on your own and I think that’s the beauty of this. It doesn’t just fall on one of us.
Outside of having people you can depend on and being a part of a team, it’s also just being authentic. I think a huge part of what has helped us create the page and establish and sustain this community is the fact that everything that we do is authentic because we are Black women, you know? We’re not a group cosplaying as Black women. I’m not going to say it’s going to come effortlessly because there is a level of intention that goes into this, but when it’s just very much a part of how you show up in this world, you don’t have to second-guess or go to another source and steal things from them. Obviously, we repost people’s content, but outside of that, I think we organically have our fingers on the pulse in terms of certain things so we don’t have to do a lot of searching. I think it just comes very naturally.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
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