BBC Pulls Bare Nails Article After Backlash Over 'White Supremacist' Claim, URL Now Returns 404
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 30
BBC Pulls Bare Nails Article After Backlash Over 'White Supremacist' Claim, URL Now Returns 404
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 30
Summary
BBC removed an article arguing the bare-nails trend could reinforce “White supremacist” beauty standards, and by Tuesday the story’s URL led to a 404 page.
The piece, headlined “How the bare nails trend became a class issue,” said clear or unpainted nails could stigmatize Black, Latino and Asian communities that popularized more elaborate nail designs.
Critics across social media and media circles mocked the article as absurd and divisive, prompting the broadcaster to first replace it with a notice saying it was under editorial review before removing that notice too.
The takedown adds to scrutiny of BBC editorial judgment after Donald Trump last month won permission to amend a lawsuit over a 2024 documentary edit of his Jan. 6 speech; BBC leadership changes followed that earlier controversy in 2025.