As I was treating myself to a manicure and pedicure the other day, a guy in his late 20’s, clearly straight from a basketball game, came walking into the spa. Without the blink of an eye he said he was there for a “sports pedicure.” At first, I thought this was some male version of a female pedicure – that there was something about this that made it manly.
No. Wrong.
It’s everything that I get done to my feet, only without the polish.
Note: The lady that was doing my pedicure said that sometimes men do get clear polish, so I guess that justification to call it a “sports” pedicure is out the window.
Listen, you can’t just put the word “sport” in front of something and expect it to magically be less feminine.
I sincerely appreciate good hygiene. I enjoy when a guy showers at least once a day, shaves his face and makes a conscious effort when he dresses himself. Believe me, these things never go unlooked.
I even knew a guy who regularly had his back and chest waxed – this, my friends, is absolutely above and beyond normal procedure. A+ for effort.
However, I become uncomfortable when it’s taken to the level of clear nail polish. Something about that throws it over the line and can no longer, in my eyes, be considered “manly.”
Fine, get your manicures, pedicures or even spa facials. But if you’re going to do it, just do it. Don’t throw the word “sport” or any other macho term in front of it to make yourself feel more at ease with the situation. We don’t dress it up, neither should you.
Any man’s hands or feet that look better than mine, make me uncomfortable! : )
Comment by Rose — June 17th, 2009 @ 6:22 pm
I gotta say, a man with his nails freshly done after a manicure is a major turn on! Clear nail polish or not, I’ll take it!
Comment by Daisy — June 17th, 2009 @ 10:36 pm
This may be off-topic, but I have a more than a little difficulty reading and responding to a woman’s signals, if you know what I mean. I’m not a stupid man, not by a long shot. I just don’t know much about the gestures, the “rules,” so to speak.
BTW, I put nail laquer on my right hand, but that is to strengthen them for guitar-playing purposes.
Comment by The Farmington Valley Flash — June 18th, 2009 @ 6:17 pm
Almost all professional men have their nails done. It’s just part of their overall grooming process. My son loves having a pedicure and manicure along with me and his wife. We all sit side by side at the salon. So what if it’s called a sports whatever. Just be grateful some men care enough about their appearance to have this done.
Comment by Anne — June 21st, 2009 @ 6:32 pm
I couldn’t resist commenting because I think it’s about time we opened our minds a little here!
The author says that manicures and pedicures are fine for men, as long as there is no polish. Well, that kind of perspective is exactly why we have to call a man’s pedicure a “sports” pedicure in the first place! It’s because we have managed to alienate them and make guys feel uncomfortable when they take some pride in their appearance. Why do you think men appear grungy a lot of the time? It could be because they catch less flack from us than they would when they dress more neat and stylish.
Please, let men express their style and creativity a little, without the baggage of our closed-minded ‘opinions’ forced on them every chance we get. Who knows, maybe they will pleasantly surprise us!
Comment by Darla — July 9th, 2009 @ 2:22 pm
Women definitely “dress it up” too… isn’t calling it a “french manicure” as unnecessary as calling it a “sport manicure”??
Comment by Rebecca — July 13th, 2009 @ 1:37 am
It would make my day, literally, to see my boyfriend take action on ANYTHING like a manicure, a pedicure, a regular shave, a haircut every 2 months maybe? Or even getting his eye brows waxed. But just like every other guy, he uses the term “gay” for anything that has to do with physical appearence. And I agree with a lot of people on here, I don’t understand why we have put feminine fear in men to look decent. I mean, why shouldn’t they? Don’t we women do it for them? In my opionion, it should be 100% vise-versa as well. Looking good should never be a one-way street.
Comment by Sara Auld — November 21st, 2009 @ 7:29 pm
My husband used to have really gross feet. They were rough and unattractive and even scratched me when he got close to me in bed. With a little help from his mother, I finally managed to talk him into experiencing a spa pedicure with me. Well, he liked it and it did wonders for his feet! He was even offered polish by the nail tech in a “manly” color of dark silvery-gray and it looks great on his feet!
Now he can snuggle me anytime he wants, and it is a much more pleasureable experience. And his feet look so sexy too!
Comment by Michelle — January 26th, 2010 @ 5:54 pm
It took some pushing on my wife’s part, but I experience my first pedicure a few summers ago. It was a lot more enjoyable than I thought it would be, considering that the nail place we went to was geared toward women (though they did have some ‘guy’ magazines). It felt great and my feet looked a lot better too. My wife even said they looked ‘sexy’ afterwards.
I have since had a number of pedicures, and now the place I go is set up for men with our own chair and reading material, they even have some masculine colors of polish for those who are more daring. I have not tried the color yet, but my wife has been trying to get me to. What the heck, it’s only paint.
Comment by Jake K — February 8th, 2010 @ 3:24 pm