Men can choose to paint one or more nails on each hand, and the color they choose can vary from man to man.
It is true that some go even further by adding a pattern to the color, but the solitary meaning it signifies remains unchanged.
This fashion reserved for men was born in the United States, but enterprising Americans introduced it to the United States.
While traveling with a group called Hagar International, Elliot Costello met a young girl named Thea, who inspired him to paint his nails and spread the idea further.
Elliot and the group came to Cambodia with the intention of changing the lives of the people living there.
The smallest villager, in turn, made the biggest impression on Elliot, who learned about a problem that affects children all over the world, especially in the United States and not just Cambodia.
Elliot took the time to get to know little Thea, engaging with her in a way she would appreciate.
Nail polish was a must-have for this girl. She painted one while they were discussing their lives and their problems, and he painted one.
He discovers that she was the victim of sexual abuse…
“As she painted one of my nails, I assured her that I would always keep it like this in memory of her and, by extension, of her suffering. »
After this touching exchange, Elliot regained his motivation to create positive change in men so that children are safer from sexual abuse.
That’s when he came up with the idea for the Polished Man project, in which men are invited to paint a nail for a week in order to become a #PolishedMan.
This nail on a hand full of fives symbolizes the fifth child victim of sexual violence.
Polished Man, an organization that works to end sexual violence against children, says that “being a polite man means challenging violent behavior and language, both locally and globally.”
Given that men are responsible for 96% of this type of violence against children worldwide, Elliot concluded that men must be the catalyst for change if we are ever to end the abuse of innocent children.
The ultimate goal is not for people to just see a man with a shiny new nail and think about the fact that hundreds of thousands of children are hurt every day and will pay the price for the rest of their lives .
Instead, Elliot hopes the nail will serve as a conversation starter about this unfortunate reality, leading to new ideas for ending it and perhaps even donations to “support educational programs and resources for child survivors of abuse,” as noted by APlus.
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