Did Princess Kate Just Weigh In On This Controversial Manicure Trend?
She’s low maintenance, down-to-earth, and more likely to be gardening than sitting in a nail salon chair.
Princess Kate has rarely been spotted with a colorful manicure–in fact, there is only one time in recent years that she has worn an actual color, and not just a shade of beigey pink or sheer nude. The Princess of Wales has always preferred a bare nail, or on rare occasions a barely-there nail, with a tidy, almost nonexistent polish. The message has been consistent: she’s low maintenance, down-to-earth, and more likely to be gardening or beekeeping than sitting in a salon chair.
A glimpse at the Princess of Wales's shiny nails.
Princess Kate's sheer pink manicure.
On her recent engagements, a shiny, sheer nude polish was apparent as she shook hands and chatted with volunteers at a local community lunch. As the bare nails trend picks up steam—and controversy—the presence of a polish feels like more of a statement than no polish at all.
Beauty trendspotters noticed that bare nails and no polish manicures have become a status symbol, playing into “quiet luxury” and “old money” trends. Celebrities have begun eschewing their bright, elaborate manicures and long nails in favor of short, bare nails. “I knew bare nails had officially become a trend when people started asking for a manicure that didn't really look like, well, a manicure at all,” Marie Claire’s Beauty Editor, Siena Gagliano, writes. “Suddenly, the best inspo on Instagram wasn't chrome or intricate nail art—it was healthy-looking nails that seemed completely untouched.”
Princess Kate showed off her bare nail manicure.
Princess Kate has only sported a bold-colored manicure once before.
Princess Kate’s sheer manicure leans right into the trend, which recently made unexpectedly tense headlines. The BBC removed an article on the bare nail trend titled How the Bare Nails Trend Became a Class Issue after intense backlash. Beauty journalist Kristina Rodulfo was quoted saying that the trend is “often called elegant or tasteful, and these are often usually euphemisms that perpetuate white supremacist standards of beauty." Kristina accused the trend as being a sign of “counter signalling,” where trends and status symbols shift as they become more accessible to the masses. "The same way that logo bags are considered gauche or quiet luxury is more aspirational, bare nails are considered the trend now.”
Since Princess Kate has sported a sheer, barely-there manicure for most of her public life, it seems unlikely that she is buying into beauty trends or making grand statements. Regardless, her fashion and beauty choices make headlines whether she consciously chose the sheer pink to make a statement, or simply wanted a swipe of color to give her a clean, manicured look.
