BBC removes bare-nails article over editorial standards
The BBC has permanently removed a news article that linked the bare-nails beauty trend to white supremacist standards of beauty. The piece was taken down on 29 September after an editorial review, with the broadcaster saying it did not meet its editorial standards, according to Deadline.
The original piece was headlined 'How the bare nails trend became a class issue' and examined enthusiasm for naked nails. That means nails worn bare or polished to look bare. Its page, first published on 25 September, is now headed 'Classy or classist? How bare nails became a hot issue', according to the BBC.
The article centred on comments from a New York City-based beauty journalist. She was quoted saying the enthusiasm for bare nails promotes an "erasure of culture and identity that is so important to black and brown communities". She was also quoted saying that bare nails are often described as elegant or tasteful, and that those terms are euphemisms that perpetuate white supremacist standards of beauty.
The BBC said the problem was how that criticism was handled. The article reported the criticism of the trend without sufficient context or challenge. That left it below the bar required for publication, and the broadcaster ordered its permanent removal the same day.
The backlash was swift. The story went viral in conservative media circles in the United States before Fox News picked it up, Deadline reported. The Toronto Star characterised the since-deleted piece as suggesting that unpainted nails are a symbol of racism. The Guardian also reported on the removal on 30 September.
Readers opening the BBC link now see a short notice. It reads: 'This article has been removed pending editorial review'. The BBC's Beauty standards topic page still summarises the story line as: 'Bare nails - or nails that appear that way - are a growing trend. But is it as innocent as it seems?'
For readers catching up, this means the full argument is no longer available on the BBC site. Only the headline, the removal notice and the topic-page summary remain in place.
