Snoop Knows Best: Men Can Be Masculine and Still Get Manicures

@snoopdogg/Instagram

Guys who get their nails done — or want to — have an unlikely ally in rapper Snoop Dogg, who hasn’t been shy about defending his manicured hands.

At a launch event for his new collection with Sweden’s Happy Socks, the man who briefly went by Snoop Lion said, “The game is this, though: a real pimp focuses [on making] sure he’s manicured, he’s pedicured, his hair is done, his face is right, his outfit is cold, his car look good, got a pocket full of money, conversation strong, smell good. These are pimp traits and characteristics that have been hard for me to relinquish.”

He continued, “As males we all have feminine ways, just like women have masculine ways, so it’s okay to tap into those inner ways. We have certain characteristics, values and traits that our mothers gave us. I’m a man that can tap into my feminine side and still know that I’m a masculine man with a manicure.”

Men’s grooming experts, like GQ’s The Style Guy Glenn O’Brien, also support men getting their nails groomed. “Few matters of grooming are bigger turnoffs than dirty or ragged fingernails and out-of-control cuticles,” O’Brien wrote in GQ. “Self-maintenance with clippers often results in a rough look, and most men are not in touch with their inner emery boards. The occasional pro manicure will give you nice, even nails that can be easily maintained with a nail brush, soap and water.”

Many barbershops and unisex hair salons offer manicures for guys. Some spots, like Halo for Men in Chicago, are for men only. Others, like Paul Labrecque or Federic Fekkai in New York, have back rooms where guys can get their nails done discretely.

Whether to polish or not, however, is still up for debate. O’Brien is against it — “polish, even clear, on men generally looks excessive,” he says — but Snoop Dogg is pro. “Real playas keep they nails fly fresh n dipped at the tip,” he wrote on a Instagram picture of his freshly painted nails.