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In western culture, long nails are a symbol of femininity, while short nails are a symbol of masculinity. Nail decoration is usually limited to females.
In some Asian cultures men may also grow long fingernails, or only the nail on the little finger, to show that they do not do much manual labor, but instead work in an office setting. However, this practice is gradually becoming unpopular and unrefined because a long fingernail on the little finger is variously associated with either nose picking or cocaine usage.
In the 19th century in the Balkans, white-collar workers, such as clerks, grew their fingernails long to distiguish them from people in lower classes who worked with their hands. [1]
Some guitar players, notably classical and fingerstyle players, will purposely grow long nails on the hand they use to pluck the strings. Their longer nails serve as small, easily-maneuverable guitar picks (use of acrylic or "gel" nail enhancements is also growing in popularity, because the natural nail sometimes wears off faster by playing than it can grow back). For some serious musicians, daily nail care can become a mark of pride and dedication.
In comparison, pianists must keep their nails trimmed short to avoid clicking noises on the keys, and most string players, such as violinists and guitarists, must keep at least the nails on their string hand short to allow the strings to be fingered correctly.
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