#GirlsShitToo

Adree's Comeback

Adree Richards @AdreeSchmadree_dancer

Hello LOVELY people! :) New video up, about why #NAILPOLISHRULES #EmbraceFemininity

Nail Polish Rules!

Published on January 20, 2015

Youtube Video Transcript:

Hello my beautiful viewers! This is Adree with Embrace Femininity.

I've always loved nail polish. What's not to love? It's pretty, it fosters creativity, it adds color to our boring lives. Unfortunately, not everyone shares my love.

I painted my little brother's nails a few years ago and got in trouble. Trouble. My dad told us I was going to turn him into a crossdresser, and Dad, sorry, but wow that was a bad thing to say. Because, for one, what's wrong with being a crossdresser? You said it like it was the worst thing in the world that you could be! And two, Dad, you totally gave Robby a complex about how him doing anything that can be considered feminine is bad.

And what a horrible thought that is, equating feminine with bad.

That's what you are doing, Dallas. You are condemning things society considers to be feminine. And along the way, you are supporting all those horrible people who discriminate against others for doing girly things. I'm sure boys have been verbally and even physically abused for doing something considered feminine, like painting their nails.

It's funny because I remember being in your room a few years ago for that history project we had to do, and you had a poster of some metal band, and the lead singer was wearing black nail polish. I thought that was hot, and you said you liked it too because he didn't care about the negative criticism he got for it, even from other people in the metal community. So on some level, you support it. Or do you only like it when men, who aren't "supposed" to wear it, wear it? If that's the case, then you're upside down, Dallas.

In my opinion, anyone, girl or boy, should be able to express themselves in any way they see fit. Nail polish does not suck!

So, ladies and gentlemen, I ask you all to tweet photos of your decorated nails, accompanied by the hashtag #nailpolishrules! Let's show Dallas we can express ourselves however we want to, and people like her can't tell us we suck!

 "Well, Dallas, I think it's safe to say Adree wins this week," Benny said after school on Thursday, flipping through the pages of January's Metal Hammer.

"Don't rub it in," I said, but it didn't matter how much they rubbed it in, because I'd already faced the fact that I was no better than the old lady in the grocery store. Except she was probably raised with heavy misogyny, so she really didn't know any better. I did.

"It's awesome that she brought up Alexi Laiho," Alex said, obviously remembering the Children of Bodom poster on my wall in middle school. "Sorry, but she's right. People shouldn't be condemned for wearing nail polish. All hail Alexi from Finland, for starting the dudes who wear nail polish in metal trend! Finland rules!"

Selfishly, I was just wishing that Alex and Benny would side with me and make me feel better, and even more selfishly, I was pissed at them for not. "Alexi wasn't even the first guy to wear nail polish in metal. That's been going on for a long time." I regretted afterward how condescending I was acting. Truthfully, If Roy hadn't told me that factoid, then I probably wouldn't have known, either.

"Yeah, musicians from the '80s used to wear nail polish," Benny said.

"Glam metal guys were always trying to appropriate femininity," Alex said.

"Man, that shoulda been my project!" Benny exclaimed, closing the magazine and sitting up. "Appropriate femininity! Inspired by females! Boys wear nail polish too!"

I rolled my eyes, because even though those were good ideas, I felt like he was just making fun of our projects. "You're so masculine; you could never pull that off. What's so great about femininity anyway?"

He thought for a moment. "Boobs."

"Really, Benny? Boobs are what's great about femininity? Trust me, boobs suck."

"Well you don't really have any, anyways, so I wouldn't call you an authority."

"What is your project, anyways?" I asked, changing the subject.

"You know I have to do the stupid paper now. So I'm doing why college should be free here."

Alex piped in, "Masturbation should be encouraged, college should be free—if we lived in your world, it would be a dream."

"Everyone would have boobs," I added.

"And nail polish," Benny said. "Nail polish rules!" he imitated Adree's voice.

I hit him in the shoulder. "You used to tell me that Alexi's nail polish was totally gay!"

"That was back in the day when I would say things were 'gay' when I didn't like them, and then you would hit me—remember?" he rubbed his shoulder. "But I've changed my mind over the years. Nail polish really does rule. Sydney Reicher wears nail polish, and yowza."

"You know," I said, looking around at the new set of posters on my wall, "I'd almost forgotten about that history project from eighth grade that I did with Adree. But now I remember she was so nit-picky and everything had to go her way."

"Well it's not like you're working with her now," Alex said.

"I mean, yeah, I know, but it's like...I just want to post videos, but I'm being forced to post comebacks. This really is a competition, and she is steering it."