Are you man enough to rock nail polish?

Women alone aren’t at the receiving end of the ‘log kya kahenge’ syndrome. Men too have been subjected to scrutiny whenever they tried to break the gender mould.

Recently, actor Rahul Khanna shared an Instagram story of his nails in black paint. He wrote: “Putting the ‘man’ in manicure.” It was widely shared by men who applauded the act. Some even shared their pictures sporting nail polish. One shared his picture juxtaposed with Khanna’s, captioned: “Twinning with @mrkhanna! Two days ago my mom objected on my manicure and my nail paint and asked me to remove it immediately because it looked feminine. I am so happy to see this post today in @mrkhanna’s story. Giving me life (sic).” Is it time to nix stigmas against men with nail polish? We ask experts.

“It looks uber cool on men. But I don’t see it as a gender- bending trend as I’ve seen it on a lot of alpha males. In fact, in rural areas, we’ve seen men painting their index fingers. I think it’s only now that we see taboos regarding men and nail polish, we should get rid of them. I’d certainly want to try nail polish on Ayushmann Khurrana with one of his looks, I believe he’ll be able to pull it off well,” says Ayushmann’s stylist Isha Bhansali.

“With men flouting toxic norms of masculinity and more male celebrities embracing trends which are supposed to be a ‘girl’ thing, androgyny no longer raises eyebrows. It is inspiring other men who want to experiment with edgy and eclectic elements in fashion,” says designer Anvita Sharma, known for her gender-neutral clothing line.

Designer Nachiket Barve says, “While you are out partying and acing a biker-chic look, wearing nail polish could look fabulous. But if attending a boardroom meeting, this might seem out of place.”