How long and why do men grow their nails on little fingers

Beautiful manicured manicure is a familiar phenomenon for women. Although sometimes found in men. You can see how the representatives of the stronger sex do not grow all, but only one nail on each hand. Most girls do not approve of this, but they do not understand it either. They do not get tired of wondering why men grow their nails on their little fingers.

An excursion into the past

Trying to understand why men grow their nails on little fingers, it's worth returning to the 17th century. At that time such a tradition appeared among French aristocrats. Court etiquette required not to be knocked (as we do now), but gently scrape the door before entering the room.

In the 18th century, a long fingernail on the little finger let you quickly open the letters, if at hand there was no special device. At the same time, it was grown mainly on the left hand, as this finger is used less often on it. Accordingly, there is less chance of damage to the nail. This custom was maintained until the beginning of the 20th century. Later the tradition became irrelevant due to the fact that the wax seal was replaced with conventional glue.

In the early 20th century pharmacies could easily buy cocaine. He was a very effective anesthetic, so he was well relieved of dental or headache. However, some people used it for a different purpose. They sniffed cocaine to overcome depression, improve their tone, improve mental performance and wakefulness at night. For this purpose, this medicine was used mainly by creative people: musicians, artists, poets. They needed a certain dose to get the proper effect without overdoing it. The necessary amount of cocaine just fit neatly on the inside of the nail. There was even a measure of the weight of nail (from English - "nail").

Such a convenient "adaptation" for cocaine was possessed by the creative intelligentsia, so it becomes clear why men grow their nails on little fingers. So they want to show their belonging to this circle of people. It was under the influence of this desire to distinguish the fashion for a long nail. It was preserved until the 80s of the 20th century. Later such people were gradually "transferred".

Why do men grow their nails on their little fingers now?

It seems to be clear why the nail on the little finger needed men in the past centuries. But what is he for now? Today, when cocaine is already banned, and there is no wax seal, and the fashion has already gone, a long fingernail in men can look ridiculous and silly. However, it can sometimes be seen. It is a kind of sign of people's belonging to the thieves' caste. On the one hand, it was possible to demonstrate their non-participation in physical labor. On the other hand, it was believed that the nail can be used when opening the locks. Such skills, incidentally, was possessed by Ostap Bender.

Now men rarely grow a fingernail on their little finger. Each of them is guided by different reasons. Some believe that it can be conveniently used instead of a screwdriver in order to tighten small screws and screws. Others argue that it is great for a pencil at a construction site, to mark the risk of linoleum, plaster or board.