What Does White Nail Polish Mean? TikTok Has A Spicy New Theory

If you’re a mainstay on BeautyTok’s endless feed of wild beauty hacks, helpful reviews, and glam breakdowns, you’ve likely come across one nail theory before — the “red nail theory,” to be exact. In brief? The buzzy theory makes an interesting connection between wearing red nail polish and noticing a bit more male attention than normal.

While scarlet-hued tips are *still* everywhere (even throughout the warm summer months), there’s a new nail theory taking over the buzzy platform, albeit a bit more subtle than the last.

If you’re a Millennial like myself, you may remember the days of choosing your relationship status on Facebook for the world to see. Today, of course, one’s love life tends to be a bit more veiled, with an entire discourse on the art of hard and soft launching your partner on the ‘gram.

TikTok is officially throwing its hat in the ring, offering up a new way to let the world know you’re taken or not — and the theory is just now gaining some steam. In short: Light blue hues indicate that you’re taken. And what does white nail polish mean? It alledgedly intricates that you are single and perhaps looking for some love (or lust). As for the total wild card, equivalent to Facebook’s “it’s complicated?” Shades of pink or purple are said to mean that you are talking to someone at the moment, but still open to some flirtation.

TBH, no one really knows where or why the theory originated in the first place. Though when it comes to baby blue manis, it’s linked to the idea that when women ask their partners which nail polish color they should choose, the answer is more often than not blue. Nonetheless, as someone who is married, it may make me think twice about a fresh white manicure.