A beautiful well-groomed manicure is a common thing for women. Although sometimes found in men. You can see how the representatives of the stronger sex do not grow everything, but only one nail on each hand. Most girls not only do not approve of this, but do not understand. They never cease to wonder why men grow pinky nails.
A trip to the past
Trying to understand why men grow fingernails on their little fingers, it's worth going back to the 17th century. At that time, such a tradition appeared among the French aristocrats. Court etiquette demanded not to knock (as we do now), but to delicately scratch the door before entering the room.
In the 18th century, a long nail on the little finger made it possible to quickly print letters if there was no special device at hand. At the same time, it was grown mainly on the left hand, since this finger is used least often on it. Accordingly, less likely to damage the nail. This custom continued until the beginning of the 20th century. Later, the tradition became irrelevant due to the fact that the wax seal wasreplaced with regular glue.
At the beginning of the 20th century it was easy to buy cocaine in pharmacies. It was a very effective anesthetic, so it relieved a toothache or headache well. However, some people have used it for other purposes. They snorted cocaine to overcome depression, increase energy, improve mental performance and stay awake at night. For these purposes, this medicine was used mainly by creative people: musicians, artists, poets. They needed a certain dose to get the desired effect without overdoing it. The required amount of cocaine just fit neatly on the inside of the regrown nail. There was even a measure of weight nail (from English - "nail").
The creative intelligentsia had such a convenient “device” for cocaine, so it becomes clear why men grow their fingernails. Thus, they want to show their belonging to this circle of people. It was under the influence of such a desire to excel that the fashion for a long nail went. It remained until the 80s of the 20th century. Later, such people gradually “transferred.”
Why do men grow pinkie nails now
It seems to be clear why the nail on the little finger was needed by men in past centuries. But what is he to them now? Today, when cocaine is already banned, and there is no wax seal, and such a fashion has already departed, a long fingernail for men can look ridiculous and stupid. However, it is sometimes still possiblesee. It is a kind of sign that people belong to the thieves' caste. On the one hand, it was possible to demonstrate their non-involvement in physical labor. On the other hand, it was believed that the fingernail could be used in opening locks. By the way, Ostap Bender possessed such skills.
Now men rarely grow a nail on their little finger. However, each of them is guided by different reasons. Some people think that it can be conveniently used instead of a screwdriver in order to tighten small screws and screws. Others say it's great in place of a construction site pencil to mark a mark on linoleum, plaster, or board.
