Where do the French come into this?

This week I was taught to do my own French Manicure by Alyssa Cardon, another girl in my civilizations class at BYU. The first time I had ever had a French manicure was at age eleven, when I begged to be an adult. My mother agreed and that was that. After this manicure I began to neglect my nails. Ever once in a while I'd get my nails done or maybe file them but not until now have I known how to do my own French manicure.

Whereas a normal manicure for women is dated to around 5,000 years ago, a French Manicure's original design is a little unclear. Some claim that the French manicure was invented by Max Factor in the 1930s for French fashionistas but some attribute the look to the 1800s and others presume that because the first home French manicure kit was created by Jeff Pink that he was the creator. But how does this really relate to the French? Like stated earlier, Factor, presumedly, created the look for French women, but many believe that the that when the word 'French' is applied any product, that it can make it sound sophisticated.

In place of henna women in India would use henna. The people of southern Babylonia 4,000 years ago used gold tools to achieve gorgeous nails. In 3,000 BC, nail polish

was developed in China and used to show a person’s social rank. Similarly the Dowager Empress of China always kept her fingernails extremely long and during the Ming dynasty, the shades of nail polish among the upper class were red and black. Nail polish as a way of esablishing rank in society can also be seen in ancient Egypt. Cleopatra and Queen Nefertiti were also followers of red nail style. All of these origins of the manicure have morphed into what we have today. A little more information on the history can be found here.

Speaking of the color of nails being a status symbol sounds so silly. I can see the connection people make between pretty nails, to clean nails, to clean hands, and being clean and taken care of in general but it still seems very superficial. Don't get me wrong, I like a nice pedicure and foot rub but how often do we associate good looks with status?