Nailing the perfect engagement photo
GETTING a manicure is no longer about looking schmick – today women are getting their nails done in case their man pops the question while on holiday.
And the token Instagram engagement picture has everything to do with it.
Of all the first-world problems, women are stressing about their hands looking perfect with the ring so their friends – and others online – can swoon over it.
Alexia Rivera said she got her nails done before almost every holiday before her partner Max got down on one knee.
“Every girlfriend wants their engagement Instagram picture to be perfect,” she said. “It’s somewhat a rite of passage now.
“I got classic nails done when I thought my partner would propose during a holiday at Fraser Island, but he didn’t. He ended up proposing a few months earlier when we went to Moreton Island and I had the craziest nails on, but I was prepared.”
Southport nail technician Electra Melissa, of Miss G’s Nail Lounge, said the trend had blossomed with the emergence of social media site Instagram.
“We also get men calling up to ask us when their partners are getting their nails done so they can time their proposal with the appointment. It’s so hard to keep my mouth shut when the girls come in for their appointments.”
Ms Melissa said women also scheduled appointments immediately after being asked the big question “so they can post a picture of their ring on Instagram”.
“Usually, they get natural nails or nude colours. I think people want timeless colours associated with their wedding.”
Nailed it Bar owner Shenae Darbyshire also credited social media for the wave of hopeful girlfriends booking manicures at her Mermaid Beach salon ahead of romantic vacations.
“We get women every week going on holidays talking about how they just want to be prepared if their man pops the question,” she said.
“Sometimes I get women who just got engaged and get their nails done before they take the photo. It’s all about how it will look on Instagram.”
Empire Nails and Beauty owner Susie Gaston said the engagement nails trend showed no signs of slowing.
“We get a lot of customers who bring up their ideas about perfect nails to match their engagement ring,” she said.
Trend expert Stephen Holden said it’s not surprising.
“There’s the old joke ‘women don’t dress for men, they dress for other women’ and it’s certainly true,” he said.
“Instagram provides another avenue to put your ‘best face’ forward ... Instagram isn’t necessarily changing us.
“But it is putting women in a state of hyper-readiness for something that may or may not happen.”
Kim Kardashian is even losing sleep about it, posting this week that she regrets the engagement snap she posted after Kanye West proposed to her in 2013.
EVERY GIRLFRIEND WANTS THEIR ENGAGEMENT INSTAGRAM PICTURE TO BE PERFECT