Man spends £38k on extravagant nails – but people call them 'overpriced garbage'

A man with a passion for nails has spent over $50,000 [£38,482] on his lengthy talons with no plans of stopping.

Ryan, a 23-year-old from New York, attracts attention in the street and when he uses his nails to pick up food in restaurants. He spends up to five hours and splashes out at least $1,000 [£769.91] on a new set in the nail salon every two weeks.

He loves getting nail designs with glitter, gems, bold colours and unique patterns. Despite the cost, Ryan is happy to pay for the design he wants and says his nail technician also has celebrity clients.

"People say my nails are hideous but I love them," he told Truly TV recently. After demonstrating on TikTok how he cleans, eats meals and works as a lash tech in the city with his ultra-long five-inch talons, Ryan has become an internet sensation.

While he receives many compliments on his unique nails, some online critics label them as "overpriced garbage". "Just because it's not your taste or style, doesn't mean it's garbage," he responded on TikTok. "It's very beautiful, very artistic... I just love the designs," he added.

He said people assume he gets his nails done for attention, but he simply loves them as art pieces. For him, the artistry and self-expression that his nails provide outweigh any negative opinions. "The longer the nails, the more art you can put into what you are doing," he told Truly TV.

Ryan, who has been sporting glamorous, over-the-top nails for almost five years, acknowledges that certain mundane tasks become a challenge due to his extraordinary nail style. He admits that activities such as cleaning small mugs or tying rubbish bin bags can prove tricky and other chores take him "a bit longer" than people without similar nails.

However, Ryan