Entertainment

Here's Why Celeb Men Are Wearing Polish On 1 Nail

by Caroline Gerdes

If you follow Zac Efron or the Hemsworth brothers on Instagram, you may have noticed the guys are sporting a mini mani, with nail polish on just one finger. So, what’s behind this polished trend? Why are celebrity men wearing nail polish (other than the fact that it looks cool)? It turns out this is a charitable campaign, similar to the Ice Bucket Challenge.

Zac Efron, Chris Hemsworth, and Liam Hemsworth are participating in the Polished Man’s campaign to end violence against children. The movement's website explains that the campaign is meant to inspire men to step up and be an active in raising awareness about violence against kids.

“Being a Polished Man means you don’t turn your back on the vulnerable. You raise your voice — and nail — to say, ‘not on my watch.’ You embrace the smirks and know it doesn’t matter; there are worse things than being embarrassed by a little mani. Because nailing it isn’t about shouting the first round, or how much you lift. Nailing it is saying no to violence against children,” the site’s about page reads.

Women are invited to participate in the campaign, but Polished Man explains it is targeting men because 90 percent of sexual violence against children is perpetrated by men. Though, it says, it is not “pointing the finger,” but starting a conversation that challenges the culture.

While Efron and the Hemsworths have already lent a hand, or finger, part of their involvement included nominating others, much like the Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS. So, we’ll have to see if their nominees step up and go pinkies up — the guys tapped people like James Marsden, Hugh Jackman, the Workaholics guys, Robert Downey Jr., Jimmy Fallon, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hiddleston, and Luke Hemsworth. (Chris Hemsworth was actually the man to nominate Zac Efron.)

Chris has actually posted twice about the campaign on Instagram. In his second post he captioned the image, “Being a @PolishedMan isn't just about remembering to buy flowers, how many rounds you shout, or how much you lift. It's about saying no to violence against children. That's why this October I'm painting my nail and asking you to donate to help the 1 in 5 kids globally who are subjected to physical or sexual violence before they turn 18.”

While its fun to see what celebs are stepping up to the plate, know that you don’t have to wait to participate. A statement nail that helps end violence against children? Yes, please!