Do you think acrylic nails are in right now? Do you like them or are they pointless?

Perhaps you’ve seen a fresh new set of acrylic nails and decided you just had to have them, or maybe you thought they were irrelevant and a waste of money. We asked the students of Ventura High School what their opinion was on this trend.

From Queens Cleopatra and Nefertiti of ancient Egypt to the upper-class women of 19th century Greece, artificial nails have been a hot and “in” trend. In ancient Egypt, it signified the riches and status of the royals who wore them. Now, in the 21st century, it’s a way for people to artistically express themselves. Even stars such as internet icon Kylie Jenner and popular makeup artist James Charles indulge in these fun little accessories. If you were to pull out your phone right now and scroll across social media, you’re bound to see someone with a full set of acrylic nails. Ventura High School students were asked their opinion on this trend.

Many students (mostly male) were unaware of what acrylics even were. “Acrylic nails? I don’t even know what that is,” stated Junior Liam Mcgee. After a quick explanation, Mcgee added on by saying, “I mean I wouldn’t wear them. I only like the way they sound [on a hard surface].” Mcgee wasn’t the only one. “What the f*** are acrylic nails?” asked Senior Jason Lowell. After another quick explanation Lowell responded, “Oh, I feel like they’re impractical for girls to have because it just makes texting difficult, but I don’t see them as a benefit or negative, they are just there.” Impracticality was the most common reason as to why students on the VHS campus disliked acrylic nails. “They get in the way. I’m an athlete; wrestler. It is a full contact sport and we’d end up gouging each other and they’re not really helpful. I would still dislike them if I wasn’t playing a sport, just practicality. You can’t do stuff, and they are pretty but I wouldn’t wear them,” stated sophomore Adeline DeLamar. With the amount of athletic activities VHS has, several other athletes agreed with DeLamar.

Freshman Abbey Clobes had her own strong reasons for disliking the growing trend, “Personally, I’ve seen freshman girls with them the most and I’ve noticed. My mom told me that girls who are set on their future don’t wear those, girls who do sports don’t wear those, it’s only certain types of girls. And I’m not judging anyone it’s just my personal opinion that I don’t need acrylic nails if I’m focused on my future and it’s going to bug me if I’m writing, it’s going to bug me if I go against the win, it’s just going to bug me. Personally, [I] just don’t like them.”

Although many disliked the lack of practicality of acrylics, some girls were able to overlook it such as sophomore Taneeya Allen: “I actually like acrylics, I just can’t wear them. In basketball we will end up poking someone or our nails will actually pop off and it hurts really badly. I don’t wear them during season but around offseason it is a nice decorative thing to have on your hand.”

Acrylics have long been associated with beauty, making many girls feel feminine and pretty when wearing them. “I really like [acrylics] because they make your nails perfect all the time, with no chips or bad nail polish. I get mine done around every two-three weeks at Jessica’s nails,” said Junior Tatum Schmidt.  

Junior Jenni Ibarra stated, “I just love acrylics. It makes me feel really feminine and so glamorous. I don’t know why, but it makes me feel good and completes my outfits in my opinion.”

But girls were not the only ones in favor of acrylics, junior Michael Mercado said, “I like it when girls scratch my back, I mean that feels pretty good. And the head rubs, those are pretty nice.”  Surprisingly, it was difficult to find girls around campus wearing acrylics. For such a growing trend, VHS doesn’t seem to follow it so quickly.

As you can see, many students either didn’t know what “acrylic nails” were, or thought that they were unnecessary and got in the way of sports and other simple tasks such as texting and writing. Many students also claimed the cost of nails wasn’t worth it while others had no issue spending around forty dollars every three weeks for a new set. So, are acrylic nails hot or not? Decide for yourself!