What Is the Red Nail Theory & Does It Actually Work?

Red is a color that has a lot of different meanings. It can mean passion, love, fire and danger. Many people tend to connect red to carnal passion, lust, and romantic love. It’s also a bold color in general and simply more eye-catching than a subtle pink or nude shade. Now there is an interesting theory that connects the color of nails to one’s attraction to men. 

So what is this theory? 

The Red Nail Theory is the idea that when women wear red nail polish, they're more likely to receive compliments from men. The theory was first brought up by TikTok PR whiz Robyn Delmonte (AKA @girlbosstown) in a now-viral video. In the clip, she explained that whenever she gets a red manicure she receives more compliments from men.

She claimed that “I always thought red nails was like a grandma nail color, why the f*** is he liking red nails? And then it hit me. In the ’90s when we were growing up, women had red nails a lot, especially like our moms. I weirdly think guys are attracted to red nails because it reminds them of their moms when they were growing up and taking care of them.”

This TikTok now has 1.2 million views and the #rednailtheory tag is full of people sharing if they received more compliments and if they’ve been asked out on more dates wearing a red manicure. 

So does the red nail theory work? 

The answer is: It depends. There is no solid data saying it is factual but there are many reasons why some could be experiencing this “attraction”. Many say they feel more confident when they wear red nail polish and this boosted sense of confidence could be the very reason they are getting more reactions from people — including men! 

It’s all fun, harmless speculation so if you’re interested in testing out The Red Nail Theory, try BarBella Co's gel polish in Ruby or Mamacita.