A Manicure As a Metaphor: What Getting Fake Nails Taught Me About Fat Loss Goals

A few weeks ago I became obsessed with the idea of getting long, claw shaped fake nails. Fun colors? Ombre? Glitter? Pointy AF? Yes please! I was feeling pretty fired up about the world and decided I wanted my nails to express the way I felt on the inside. Mostly love and light and a little go fuck yourself. LOL.  I don't normally get my nails done so I took to my Instagram stories to ask what I needed to know, what to ask for at the salon, how much they'd cost, etc. etc. I've NEVER gotten so much engagement on an IG story! And I couldn't help but notice that there were LOT of parallels between my experience getting fake nails and many people's experiences with aesthetic fitness goals, particularly weight loss. I couldn't stop thinking about it so I decided to record a podcast episode about it! On this episode we talk about:  Why it's important to talk to the people who actually do the things (get fake nails/have the body type we desire) to understand what's actually involved in maintaining said look.  How sometimes once you learn what sorts of things you have to do to achieve that goal, you may realize that you're not interested in doing that at all. How fake nails, much like certain body types, are hard to maintain, expensive, and involve sacrificing other things you want to do.  Why some people have an unfair advantage, whether it's being genetically wired to be thin or to have nails that grow long on their own.  The fact that walking around with fake nails afraid you're gonna break one feels a LOT like reaching your goal weight and living in fear that one wrong meal will derail it all.  How nobody shows what happens after the "after" photo is taken. Whether that's regaining all the weight or having all your nails break and fall off.  That sometimes you need to try it for yourself and have your own "fuck this I'm done" moment before you decide you wanna change your goal.  Whether you're chasing fat loss or fake nails, in many cases what you're actually chasing is a feeling. Why something like fake nails is less risky than something like dieting when it comes to aesthetic pursuits . The difference between self-expression and participating in your own oppression. All sorts of other interesting insights! Work with me Follow & tag me on Instagram