Angela Scanlon has described having bare nails as her quiet rebellion and we’re here for it.It’s a small thing, but it got us thinking about how much we spend keeping up appearances and whether we’ve ever actually chosen to, or whether we’ve just always done it.
The invisible cost of looking put together
There’s a reason women feel pressure to be well-groomed, research by sociologists Jaclyn Wong and Andrew Penner found that for women, most of the attractiveness advantage in the workplace comes from being well groomed, more so than for men. A separate survey found that two-thirds of hiring managers admitted they’d be less likely to employ a woman who came to an interview without makeup.
So the pressure is real, and the stakes feel real, but it’s worth separating “looking put together” from “maintaining a full beauty schedule at considerable personal cost.” One is a reasonable professional consideration. The other is an industry that has done a very good job of making itself feel non-negotiable.
Nails, in particular, are interesting. They’re not visible on a CV, they probably don’t make you better at your job and yet for many women, they’ve become a fixed line in the budget — something that just happens, every few weeks, without much question.
So what does it actually cost?
Let’s say you spend £50 every three weeks on a gel or acrylic set. That’s roughly £850 a year. From the age of 25 to 55, that’s £25,500 spent on your nails.
That’s before the cost of your time — the booking, the travel, the two hours in the chair.
Now here’s the more interesting question: what if you’d invested that money instead?
If you’d put £50 a month into a stocks and shares ISA from age 25 to 55, at a conservative average annual return of 7%, you’d have approximately £60,000 by the time you reached 55. From £18,000 contributed. For context, the average annual rate of return on a stocks and shares ISA over the past 10 years has been 9.64%. We’ve used 7% to keep things realistic and conservative. The point stands either way.
This isn’t about going bare-nailed forever
Nobody is saying you have to stop getting your nails done. If it genuinely brings you joy, fills a social need, or makes you feel more like yourself — that’s a completely valid reason to spend money on something.
The Financielle view on spending has always been this: spend intentionally, on things that actually matter to you. The problem isn’t the nail appointment. It’s the nail appointment that happens on autopilot, every three weeks, because it always has.
The rebellion Angela Scanlon is describing isn’t really about nails. It’s about noticing the things we do because we think we’re supposed to, and asking whether we actually want to.
What looking “put together” actually requires
The research on grooming and professional success is about looking polished, not about any specific beauty treatment. A neat, well-fitted outfit, perfectly styled hair, confidence in how you present yourself. None of that requires a standing nail appointment.
Looking put together is achievable without an expensive beauty routine. The gap between “professionally groomed” and “bare nails” is much smaller than the beauty industry would like you to believe.
The actual question worth asking
Not: should I get my nails done?
But: have I ever actually decided to? Or has it just always been on the list?
If you love it, keep it. If you’ve never questioned it, maybe now is the time.
And if you do decide to redirect that £50 a month somewhere else, your stocks and shares ISA could be a very good place to start. Check out our stocks and shares ISA guide here.