Varun Grover's Reason for Wearing Nail Polish

Varun Grover’s Reason for Painting Nails

It is becoming more and more common to see male celebrities flaunting brightly colored nails and it is no surprise why; it is fun! Last week Huffington Post shared Varun Grover, a Bollywood film and songwriter with his nails in various shades of colors. He took to his social accounts to talk about why he loves painting his nails and why it is okay for other men to also paint their nails if they want to.

Why It’s OK for Males to Paint Their Nails:

Grover said he received lots of feedback after posting a picture on his Instagram stories with painted nails and they were pretty biased based on the person’s gender. Females responded positively sending him “lovely comments” whereas the males responded not in favor. These varying reactions prompted Grover to talk about why he chooses to paint his nails…He goes on to talk about masculinity a bit in history, with them having flaunted “long hair, ear studs, sensitivity” and those have been accepted, but nail painting seems to be the “final frontier” in what society accepts as unisex.

Nail painting to Grover is simple, he likes it because it makes his hand “look beautiful and colorful with minimum of effort.” That is exactly The Alpha Kid’s stance, it is just color and fun. We do not need to place so much weight on gender and make it more than what it is…color! Grover goes on to say “it feels so bizarre that a simple act of putting color on your nails can be considered gendered and scandalous.” Thank you, Varun for telling it like it is, paint is paint, is paint. Now, go and have a colorful day!

Nail Polish Activity For Kids

Nail Painting Activity

Looking for a fun activity to do with your child? Here is the perfect activity to keep your creative child engaged in a new fun activity involving nail polish.

Kids Nail Polish Activity:

Does anyone have a child obsessed with nail polish, painting, and all things color? Yes, me too! My kids love any activity that involves color, painting, and generally getting fully immersed in a creative project. It is important to keep activities ever-changing to boost new cognitive, imaginative, and creative skills. Here is a great activity for children two years and older to paint their own nails with (less) mess.

Ages: two years and up (adult supervision required)

Type of Activity: Art

Skills it Develops: hand/eye coordination, fine motor skills, cognition, and creativity.

Kids Art Activity: Tracing Hands & Painting Nails:

Materials Needed:

1.       The Alpha Kids (nail polish for girls & BOYS) Nail Polish

2.        Cardstock, cardboard, or construction paper

3.       Pencil

4.       Painters tape (optional)

5.       Tray (optional)

Directions:

1.       Tape the paper onto a tray or whatever surface your child will be doing the activity. We have a designated craft table that serves all our creative projects.

2.       Once the paper is secured into place, have your child trace their hands. You can help them with this, or it may be easier for them to trace your hand, instead of their own.

3.       Next, draw on some nails at the tips of each finger. You can draw a small dot on the left and right of each nail and they can connect the dots, by drawing a “smile” to make the nail. If this is too difficult, you can draw this for them.

4.       Unscrew the lids of The Alpha Kids nail polish to have each color they picked ready for their activity.

5.       Remember, this is nail polish. It can be wiped from several hard surfaces, so long as you do it immediately when it drops. Please keep an eye and try to keep this activity on a tray, on a designated art table, or outside.

Nail Polish for Girls and BOYS?

Nail Polish for girls & BOYS?!

Because all kids should have FUN

Nail polish is not just for girls anymore! In my house, art is big, getting messy is big, and freely exploring is big. As a child development specialist, I know the importance of creative play, dramatic play, artistic play, and any other type of play. For young children, play is everything. It is how they learn, process, and make sense of their world. When I became a mom, I couldn’t wait to expose my kids to textures, sounds, and colors. My daughter took onto art and messy play, like a fish to water. Creating of some kind became her favorite activity. In our house, I have a kid’s art table set up next to a bookshelf filled with different art that is accessible at all times of the day. For some, this is too much, but mess does not scare me. Markers, crayons, paint, playdough, glue, scissors, etc. are an arm’s reach and constantly used. When my son came along, he quickly followed in his sisters’ footsteps and jumped into the creative pool headfirst.

My son is the type of kid who is usually always covered from head to toe in something, be it dirt or markers. He has always enjoyed a good sensory experience. One day I was painting my daughter’s nails and my son said “mommy! Jack, too!” I repeated, “you want color on your nails, too?” He replied with an excited “yes!” This was the start to a whole new explorative road. He picked out his colors and marveled at his newly painted bright toes…then asked me to do his hands! I didn’t bat an eye. To me, this is another form of art, creative expression, and imagination.

There are some serious benefits of encouraging your child’s sense of wonder and creativity. When children engage in art, creative thinking, or dramatic play it helps to foster their social and emotional growth and development. The act of self-expression helps a child process, cope, and make sense of their feelings. When children play and create, it gives them an opportunity to make sense of their environment and their unique experiences to the world around them. Not only this, but when they are given outlets to freely create, given independent choices, and encouraged to make something their own, it boosts self-confidence. So, you better believe when my son asks for color on his nails, I encourage it!

Back in 2011 J.Crew posted an ad with Jenna Lyons, the creative director painting her son nails pink. The ad portrayed how she and her son enjoy their weekend quality time and how much fun they have painting their toenails neon pink. This mama total gets it! She knows her son just wants to have fun and he loves pink. Plain and simple. With more and more parents encouraging rather than stifling their child’s creativity, I have started to see little boys all over with painted nails and knew there was a need to support and promote this creative kid, like my son; thus, The Alpha Kids was born. 

Be original, be creative, be super!

Brittany McCabe, M.A.