#( to Jo's Ratchet Salon )

[rapeculturerealities]

As a child of the '90s, I remember seeing black women celebrities use acrylics to create some of the hottest trends of the decade. SWV singer Coko, for example, was known for wearing her trademark extra-long set during this era. Janet Jackson arguably popularized the pierced nail look after wearing acrylics with hoops in each nail in the visuals for her 1998 hit “What’s It Gonna Be." But even long before the '90s, fake nails were a part of black women's aesthetic culture. As far back as 3000 BC, Egyptian women were believed to have worn artificial nail extensions made of ivory and bone. Those of royal descent, like Queen Nefertiti, were also known to paint their finger and toenails red, symbolizing their high status in society.

But despite the cultural and historical significance these nails have long held in our community, acrylics are still often labelled as tacky, impractical, or unprofessional when worn by Black women — a stereotype that is rooted both in classist ideals and misogynistic tropes. Yet, these same negative labels are rarely attributed to white women who wear similar styles.

The image of the long, acrylic manicure, covered in extravagant nail art has become tied up in the racist stereotypes often pushed on lower income black communities, Chicago-based nail artist Spifster Sutton tells me. “To an ignorant mindset, acrylics [on a black woman] has almost this sense of the ghetto,” she says, going on to explain that this notion is perpetuated by how black women are depicted in popular culture. “You’ve got the image of your ratchet girl, finger in your face, bubblegum chewing — it kind of has that connotation to it."

These depictions, captured in films like Halle Berry’s 1997 classic B*A*P*S, have helped to cement an association of black woman’s nail style with her income level, her social class — and ultimately, her worth. In the film, Berry plays the role of Nisi, a waitress from Georgia, who with her best friend, wants to open the world’s first combined restaurant and hair salon. Complete with both main characters sporting bold hairdos, gold teeth, and over-the-top outfits and accessories, B*A*P*S leaned into, and then reinforced, every stereotype about lower income African-American women there was — including wearing acrylics.

And while the film premiered after her time on the track, these are the same negative connotations that plagued legendary olympic runner Florence Griffith-Joyner during her prime. Despite being named the fastest woman in the world during the 1988 Olympics, local and international media at the time seemed more focused on criticizing her decadent four-inch nails, than highlighting her extraordinary athletic abilities. And while media scrutiny of her acrylics and overall appearance became a dominant narrative during her historic career, Flo-Jo herself always responded with soft-spoken grace whenever questioned about her style on the track. “I just wanted to bring in my personality and the [stuff] that I wore off the track, onto the track,” she said in a 1992 interview with sports journalist Ann Liguori.

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[swansvng]

A bored Jo is a bad Jo. Jo is Je/n/n/a Ma/rbl/es. And this is her and Winter doin’ shit.