Male Subs Who Wear Nail Polish

Hello!

I’m new to this forum, but I made an account to ask this question because the school system I sub in has a dress code that is rather vague and nothing on the internet really addresses this topic.

How do you all feel about younger male subs wearing nail polish? Yes or no? Why or why not? Please note that men wearing nail polish is much more common with Millennials and older GenZ’s. Many of us don’t believe that it has to have such a rigid, gendered connotation assigned to it.

I’m asking because I enjoy wearing nail polish, and have wondered if I could get away with it while subbing.

As far as I’m concerned, it in no way affects my ability to do my job well.

Thanks!

 

Honestly, I'd see it as a little unprofessional, just because I've grown up with the "gendered connotation." I also have yet to see a professional man seriously wear nail polish without the explanation being that his daughter(s) gave him a manicure. The only time I've seen men seriously wear nail polish - as in they put it on themselves - is with emo/scene high schoolers or college students. I'd have a hard time taking a man seriously as a professional if he's wearing nail polish.

Not saying that's right, just my personal opinion.

 

Understandable. But the times, they are a changin’!

As more and more millennials have entered the workforce, dress codes have started relaxing across a wide range of industries.

 

I get manicures every now and then. No polish, though. Just buffed nails. I don't like to call attention to myself and I feel that wearing nail polish would most definitely make me stand out. Plus, I've got absolutely no desire to wear it, anyway.

 

I see no problem as long as you adhere to the same standards as expected of professional women in regards to color. No bright green or orange or neon pink. Stick to neutrals like nudes/browns/greiges or pink/red tones. I love me a good teal or blue, but I accept that it's a tick off my professional image if I wear them to school. My go-to's are Essie's "all eyes on nudes", "buy me a cameo", "excuse me sur", and "neo whimsical" for when I need to be conservative. One of these years I'll get a bottle of "ballet slippers". If it's good enough for the queen, no employer should object.

I would watch with any bolder colors that it doesn't attract undue attention. Loud colors can be a distraction for students. You'll find with time what you can wear without wasting instructional time with questions about your nail polish.

 

I personally don't care, but know it can -- and probably WILL -- be an issue in the school. The kids will notice, ask about it, and then you'll have to decide how to handle it, if at all, which can then lead to further potential negative consequences if the kids go home and say "our teacher said...'' and as a sub, I would rather not deal with it.
It should be nice to be who you are and express it accordingly, but teaching is still a profession where that's not always possible. Especially as a sub.
My advice: proceed with caution!

 

It takes two minutes to remove your polish when you are called to sub. This is not an industry. It’s a profession.

 

Nail polish can be worn by males and females, as gender stereotypes are becoming increasingly obsolete. Even in the teaching profession, I do not see it as a problem. While I won't wear nail polish (too much work), I am not in opposition of males wearing nail polish.
The main concern should be whether the nail polish distracts the students/class or not.
With that being said, dress codes/grooming codes must be followed.

 

It is probably not a big deal for a sub but it would be a no for certified male teachers in my school district.

 

You know, they typically say that if you have to ask, you probably shouldn't.

 

So true.......

 

Sorry I would find it strange.

 

If you get through the day keeping my students somewhat productive and alive, I don't care what you look like or how you dress.

 

Just call the board of education and ask. Get it from the horse's mouth. Problem solved.

 

I think it would really depend on the district and site. At my site, teachers are very relaxed and expressive -- we have teachers with full-arm sleeve tattoos, ear spacers, men with long hippy hair, all colors of hair, nails, you name it -- we also have at least one trans sub -- I haven't seen them in person, so I don't know how they dress (they're my sub so I never see them in person, lol!). To be honest, though, I would get a foot in the door first and play it "safe" in terms of appearance, and then get a feel for what is acceptable in the school culture. Even then, as a sub, you never know when someone could react negatively, and then, unfortunately, you would have zero recourse as an un-contracted employee.

 

I've always felt one of the benefits of being a male is not having to wear make-up.

 

Women don’t have to wear it, either.

 

Exactly. I rather sleep later than paint my face. Ha ha.

 

Always gotta be politically correct.......

"I've always felt one of the benefits of being a male is not being pressured by society to wear make-up."

That better?

 

He wasn't being PC. It is a fact. We don't have to wear make up.

 

People don't have to say thank you or please. People don't have to avoid calling someone names. People don't have to support one another. But as a society we have some standard "rules" and pressures. One is that women wear make-up and primp themselves when they go outside. Granted, it is not as prominent as it once was, but in certain areas of the country to be caught at the grocery store without your face on and dressed nice is a fate worse than death because it becomes the talk of the town, and they are judged for their lack of conformity. So, no. Women do not have to wear make-up but society pressures women to do so.

 

I have a really hard time equating wearing make-up with having manners. Having manners and not calling people names impact other people in a way that someone wearing or not wearing make-up does not. Well, unless you are personally offended at the idea or sight of a woman not wearing make-up. Do you really view women who don't wear make-up as behaving the same as people who don't have manners?

 

I think it is very interesting how much these expectations vary by geographical region. My mom was a former school admin in the Northeast, and she was shocked when she visited my school and saw my site admin in jeans and windbreakers. She especially noticed women's hair -- she was used to seeing women with perfectly coiffed, dyed, neatly-styled hair, and she was amazed to seeing so many mature women with long, natural grey hair, even in professional settings. I have lived my whole adult life in this part of the country, and I can't imagine it being any other way...

 

Social rules are social rules. Our "manners" are not necessarily the "manners" of another culture. Not all cultures say please and thank you. Some cultures will call you fat if you are, but we would see that being called names. That would be offensive in our culture. In other cultures showing a bare shoulder is offensive to others.

What I do believe is that our manners and behaviors are set by our culture and not necessarily the same practices elsewhere. I also know that in some areas of our society how you present yourself is almost as important as how you behave. So, yes, I do see them as similar things. They are all social constructs.

Now, I personally don't have a problem with women not wearing make-up, but there is social pressure to do so, especially if you don't have perfect skin.

 

Well, I suppose that I refuse to participate in those social constructs. Whether a woman chooses to wear eyeliner is literally of zero concern or consequence to me. I would absolutely never, ever view a non-eyeliner-wearing woman as behaving offensively by not wearing eyeliner. It's not a woman's job to wear eyeliner in order to please me and appease my sensibilities. She is under zero obligation to make herself appear a certain way in order to meet my expectations or desires. I further find it terribly rude and mannerless to judge a woman for her make-up choices. I am far more offended by actual rudeness than by someone not wearing make-up. I guess I didn't realize that there were people in the world who are actually offended by make-up-free women specifically because of their make-up-less-ness.

This issues seems like it could closely relate to the issue of dress code, specifically the part where the girls can't wear scandalous spaghetti straps (the horror!) because it might cause the boys to suffer impure thoughts.

 

Just call me a rule breaker with no manners.

 

One of the coolest people I know was an older gentleman (60-70 years old) who was an amazing scientist and educator, and he would regularly paint his nails. (I've never known any other men to do this, even millenials or Gen-Z [unless they were emo or goth], but whatever). So no I don't have any problem with it.

I do think however it would be inviting annoying questions or treatment from students who would probably make a big deal about it.

 

I think the interesting thing is that while there are social pressures, they change, often because of those who dare to break the socially accepted behavior.

 

I do not wear makeup. Occasionally I may put on some nail polish if I am feeling particularly feminine. Some days, I'm lucky to even get a shower and brush my hair before work LOL

 

Calling her a man is just plain rude!

 

To be fair, men are expected to shave everyday (or keep trimmed facial hair) and style their hair to have a clean look. Granted I think many men don’t style their hair with products, but many women don’t either (I don’t most days). I do know many men who do style their hair.

 

Many men have nature to help them with the hair issue. People are more generous to men when there is no hair to style, but appalled when it is a women with exceedingly thin or thinning hair. They are damned if they go with the wig ("Is that your real hair?"), and damned if they go with obvious scalp showing - it seems to offend people. How can you worry about makeup if you are embarrassed by lack of hair?

 

Meh. Styling what you have is different to me than covering up what you have.

 

We have one teacher in our school who wears a wig due to hair loss from cancer treatment, and another female teacher with just thinning hair. I don't think anyone would dare give either of those two a hard time.

 

I get that but I’m basically just stating that men have specific societal expectations placed on them for their facial hair (most don’t go au naturel) while women have makeup. Is it right? No but women aren’t alone.

 

And yet, as a woman battling thinning hair, people you would think should understand somehow feel entitled in sharing their opinion on the matter, including horror stories and assigning blame. Face it, people feel very liberated about having and sharing their opinions about virtually everything.

 

I don't disagree with the fact that these expectations exist. I disagree with the viewpoint that failing to comply with them is on par with having bad manners.

 

Many people also have issues with hair breakage and choose to wear wigs or weaves because of it. I once had a student who was weaveless for a few days due to a scalp problem, and the other kids would not stop commenting on how short and patchy her natural hair was. Some of them were probably trying to be mean, but most of them were just so surprised by her new look, since they were accustomed to seeing her with a weave. Regardless of the reason, that type of commentary is completely unnecessary and can cause a lot of hurt feelings. Why do people feel the need to make comments about other people's bodies/hair/make-up/whatever, especially when those comments aren't complimentary? I'm sure that my student knew the condition of her natural hair, just as others know what their bodies look like or whether they have acne or whatever. It's not a big newsflash to announce that someone is overweight, yet people do it constantly. It's really disheartening in and of itself, but even more so when you realize that people are looking at that overweight body as an offense on par with having bad manners.

 

But that is only because our society has defined what constitutes "manners". Is it really offensive to just ask someone for what you want without saying please or saying thank you after they hand it to you? Some think that is absolutely rude. But why? Because our society decided that is the right thing to do. Just as our society decided on proper attire, proper grooming, or other social constructs.