BBC Removes Article Linking Manicure Trend to White Supremacy After Backlash

The BBC has permanently removed an article from its website that explored a viral manicure trend, suggesting it was "rooted in white supremacy" and broke the broadcaster's editorial standards. The article, first published on September 27, featured an interview with a London salon owner who described an increasing demand for "bare-looking" fake nails, which she linked to the social media trends symbolizing "quiet luxury."

The story also included criticism of the trend, with beauty journalist Kristina Rodulfo quoted as saying that the promotion of "blankness" and "sameness" in such manicures could erase culture and identity important to Black, Latino, and Asian communities. The article cited Rodulfo's view that terms like 'elegant' or 'tasteful' used to describe bare nails often serve as euphemisms that perpetuate "white supremacist standards of beauty" and conflate class with that aesthetic.

The article was initially removed for an editorial review on September 29 following online backlash. Prominent figures, including former Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies and choreographer Rosie Kay, criticized the piece on social media. Davies called it "divisive tosh" and reflective of the "today's BBC," while Kay deemed it "beyond utterly insane."

In the United States, The Wall Street Journal described the article as "embarrassingly retrograde."

The BBC confirmed the story's permanent removal on September 29, stating in its corrections and clarifications register that the article "examined the trend of bare nails and what might be motivating it, hearing from a range of contributors as well as looking at the cultural significance of manicures." The broadcaster explained that the article was removed because it "reported criticism of the bare nails trend without sufficient context or challenge and so did not meet our editorial standards."