Acrylic nails have a rich history. Though polishes and nail extensions were worn in Egypt, China and Greece, how they are worn today is a reference to the Black community during the 20th century.

There are a few figures who helped push nail culture forward, but some were exposed to racist and classist perceptions of acrylics. One of those women was Florence Griffith Joyner, an Olympic athlete whose world records still stand.

Joyner was raised in Watts, Los Angeles. She was a small child during the Watts Riots of 1965, wherein years of police brutality and housing, education and employment inequality were combatted through several days of civil unrest.

Watts remained a poor neighborhood plagued by state and racial violence—another riot ensued not even 30 years later after Rodney King was brutalized by police and the officers involved were acquitted.

After decades of anguish and taking inspiration from Blaxploitation films and funk/soul artists, a new style was born. Some were getting acrylics, while others were letting their natural nails grow out.

In 1992, Andre Harrell coined the term “Ghetto Fabulous” to describe the look. Yet, it was an established style well before it had a name. https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/revisiting-hip-hop-ghetto-fabulous-era

Back to the story though. Flo Jo’s family lived in Watts, where the future Olympic athlete fell in love with running and fashion. By her early adult years, acrylic nails become markers of “fly girl style” and were worn at extravagant lengths with intricate designs.

The athlete worked as a beautician and nail tech during her college years. She learned how to do her own nails and would sometimes give each finger its own set. Her nails weren’t always acrylics—in the clip below, she talked about growing them out.

Coko has shared that she grew her own nails out too. https://twitter.com/brooklynrwhite/status/1156234729903054849?s=21 https://twitter.com/brooklynrwhite/status/1156234729903054849

Gail Devers’ nails were real too. She grew them out after her dad dared her to stop biting her nails as a kid. https://twitter.com/brooklynrwhite/status/1278831998187057155?s=21 https://twitter.com/brooklynrwhite/status/1278831998187057155

If you’re interested in learning more about Black track stars and their fly nail techniques, this essay is for you. https://stylecaster.com/beauty/shacarri-richardson-acrylic-nails/

By the mid 1980s, you could buy press on nails. The hot look was now widely accessible.

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