One woman is giving people the opportunity to express their views on social issues like feminism, racial equality and cultural pride in an unexpected way.
Dominican nail artist Ami Vega has been doing hand-painted nail art for about five years. Recently, her clients have started asking for socially conscious designs like the black power fist and Black Lives Matter-related images, LGBT-inspired illustrations like the gay pride rainbow, or having the words “bad feminist” alongside the names of prominent feminist authors on their nails.
The New York native told The Huffington Post that it's liberating “to have your standpoint [on social issues] expressed somewhere people can see.” She explained that her clients usually come to her with an idea and they work together to bring it to life.
To Vega, wearing social issues on your hands is just another way to go “into the real world and start real conversations face-to-face, to make an impact and to push your thoughts and views so you can get them out there and get them seen.”
She added, “I think my nail art, as far as what is going on now, is a reflection of what's going on in society and what my clients want.”
Vega, who also has a 6-year-old daughter, admits that she ultimately hopes her work shows her little girl that “she's capable of doing anything.”
Check out what else Ami has to say about her nail art and see her in action in the video above. You can also see more of her nail art masterpieces on her Instagram account.
Produced by Liz Martinez/Kohar Minassian, Edited by Kohar Minassian, Shot by Steve Gatti and Sam Wilkes.
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