There are certain beauty notes that visually signal rebellion – no matter how mainstream they become. Smudged kohl liner, mussed bedhead hair, buzz cuts, rough-hewn shags, streaks of inorganic colour, well-placed piercings. And, as demonstrated by Olivia Rodrigo, a bitten manicure, worn with purpose. The pop star took to social to announce her sophomore album, Guts, chipped black polish serving as an indication that her new era may be a slightly more disaffected one.
Though trademarks like a tumble of raven waves, a cherried lip, and a feline flick of liquid liner featured on the self-facing album cover, the focus fell immediately to her hands. This was by design: Rodrigo’s pose saw her biting her thumb, the better to showcase a set of silver rings spelling out the album’s title – G-U-T-S. At first glance, the onyx manicure looked to be a reverse French, noir but youthful and keeping with the times. But a quick zoom revealed that the polish job’s negative space was born of wear and tear, immediately eliciting daydreams of a time when – whether in one’s own life or in the collective aesthetic – nails weren’t quite so done.
Guts releases this autumn – plenty of time for artfully mangled manicures to enter the conversation.
