Two friends who wear/post these, occasionally, have engineering jobs and probably aren't hurt too much by this. One is a grad student in the humanities (probably makes <$20k) and her husband just finished his nursing program. They have 3 cats and a bird and money is always an Issue... It's sad.
On the other hand, only seen that handful of wearers in my circles.
WHA???
I am a female engineer and I was thinking just yesterday that I would be laughed out of the office if I wore anything like this... Maybe boring beige on short nails or a no polish manicure, but colored nails.... At work?
Ack, I get enough flack as it is on the job site (and it is not construction FYI).
I think they're office-bound engineers. Nuclear and aerospace. I'm an engineer in grad school and my experience is that no one cares if you do "girly" things if you don't flaunt it...
LOL, kind of like guys with earings working in engineeirng -- there is nothing wrong with it, and some (few) do it, but it is not the norm, and maybe create a few lifted eyebrows. To that end, I would say that Gay & Lesbian is "normal" and does not even create a pause in conversation, but dressing differently or with a style that does not project "can do" attitude... not a recipe for upward mobility at the engineering & manufacturing companies that I have worked for.
e.g. I can't take someone with earrings or nail paint onto a (food) manufacturing floor, these need to be removed before you enter, and everyone stands and watches you awkwardly fix it, as your reveal your inexperience. Coloured nails at a sewage treatment plant are out of place and project the wrong message, too.
I think it would totally depend on the specific environment. :) If it's an actual safety issue, or otherwise obstructs the performance of her job duties (e.g. wearing stiletto heels in an industrial setting), it's obviously a bad choice. But I think if the (mostly male) coworkers are judging a woman *just* because she has her nails painted/decorated, that's a culture problem that needs to be addressed. It's equating the expression of femininity with weakness, frivolity, and unseriousness, and that's a fallacious association. A woman can be damn sharp in running FEA and wear ruffly skirts and enjoy mani-pedis with her girlfriends (at home, of course, so as to not offend mustachian sensibilities ;) ). I don't dress up my finger nails because they're funny-shaped, but I do like to paint my toes, and I prefer wine and cocktails to beers and whiskey. Some days I like to wear skirts and even makeup (although most days it's impractical, so obviously I don't). I guess I disagree with you on that last point...unless there's a safety issue I'm unaware of, let's bring those painted nails into the sewage plant! And the workshop! And the lab! (As long as we're willing to chip a nail doing whatever needs to be done. ;) )
I think you "nailed" the point -- most women and men who take the effort to dress up with flair (e.g., a purple cashmere sport coat on a man, or painted nails on a women) will NOT be willing to get their hands dirty at an unexpected moment's notice.
I have not seen many women with nice nails willing to bend over and pick up trash from the floor (reduce an employee trip or other hazard) while doing a walk-through tour. Usually worried about protecting those nails. Nails like that don't often come with khaki's and a simple collared dress shirt, either, but finer fabrics, all unsuited to getting "dusty" at the client site, even if the original plan was to stay in the meeting room.
These things definitely project an image that this person takes care not to have their appearance get mussed up.
A fellow senior engineer stopped buying / wearing fashionable blouses in the 1990's after she was called unexpectedly to write up the failing sewage pump the contractor just installed (use your imagination here). She switched to clothing that could be cleaned or discarded if needed.
So, in an office where people may need to go to the client site 1-2 days out of 10, this tends to generate an overall dress culture of "can do" clothing, even for business wear / business suits. Nails, unlike a skirt, are not likely to be changed out on a day for day basis, after all -- and if you continually chip your manicure because of your "Can Do" attitude, then you quickly become less enamored with nail art, and only use it for special occasions.
At another client site, they have an engineering assistant, in the vehicle / fleet department, that refuses to wear the hardhat, safety vest and steel toes to go out to the new fleet lot to double check VIN numbers against registration documents. A core part of her job, but she does not want to mess up her look, so she refuses (by just not doing it), and then the supervisor needs to do it when he finds out it is not done yet. This is why people have a perception, and it is half based on truth!
But yes, there are "engineers" that work in environments with roles more like a financial analyst, in financial environments, where anything that ever needs to be done can be done in stiletto heels and fancy, (short) nails. But then you are competing against a stereotyped image, and who really needs to have to prove to people all the time that you are able to type, work hard, and are serious about your job?