California Woman Got Her Nails Done For The First Time. The Nail Tech Judged The Style She Chose: ‘You’re Way Too Old’

Going to the nail salon isn’t a weekly appointment for some women. For Cami Riepe (@camiriepe), a stay-at-home mom from Northern California, she had never gotten her nails done up until recently. What was supposed to be a fun and gratifying experience for Riepe ended in tears.

Riepe told TikTok that she recently started making money out of her content. Because of that, she decided to treat herself. Although she regularly gets her gray hairs dyed and has gotten pedicures in the past, having her nails professionally painted seemed like a luxury.

With extra funds, she told her husband that she wanted to try getting her nails painted at the salon. He was supportive of her decision, and he was even excited for her salon trip.

Riepe went to Pinterest and settled on a summer-inspired set of nails. They were candy-colored pinks, blues, and yellows, with a fish and hibiscus detail. Basically, it was a fun look—perhaps experimental for Riepe, who is trying nail art out for the first time.

Nail salon horror story

“I already felt, like, guilty, because I never spend money on myself,” Riepe recalled. She was already at the nail salon. The nail tech informed her that she will be charged an extra $30. Riepe agreed, even though they’d already talked about a fixed price before the service.

Riepe said that the nail tech didn’t press her nails back or trim her cuticles. Usually, nails are cleaned before they’re painted over or treated. Despite the missteps, Riepe said that she was still having a positive experience and was optimistic about the end result for her nails.

“How old are you?” The nail tech asked Riepe. She recalls there being several people in the salon. At first, Riepe thought the nail tech was asking about her daughter, but the lady clarified that she was referring to Riepe.

Riepe told the nail tech that she just turned 29.

“Oh, you’re like way too old to get this type of nail style,” the nail tech commented. At this point, Riepe’s nails were almost done. She felt embarrassed because there were other people in the room, and her nailtech just made an offhand remark.

“With this style? I would think 18 to 22 max. Like, you’re way too old to get this style of nail,” the nail tech continued. Riepe tearfully recalled the encounter, but she decided to keep the nails eitherway.

“I’m trying to be positive, I’m trying to be fun… But now, I kinda feel old and dumb,” she opened up on TikTok. Riepe said that she’s a healed person and that she could take criticism but wanted to talk about the experience anyway.

Criticism doesn’t have to be brutal

Social media users expressed sympathy for Riepe’s experience. But many also sent support her way, with some nail technicians commenting under her video.

A commenter told Riepe, “Repeat after me—THAT WAS NOT CRITICISM. That was JUST MEAN.”

A 31-year-old nail tech said, “nails are just supposed to be something fun that makes you happy, it literally doesn’t matter if someone else doesn’t like them. they are on your hands, not theirs.” Attached to this comment was a photo of a set of stiletto nails painted with SpongeBob SquarePants characters on them.

Someone else wrote, “I literally got this exact set last month and I’m 30.” They also attached a photo, and it looks like she had the same inspo picture as Riepe. Other TikTok users also started sharing pictures of their cutesy nail art in support. Age shouldn’t stop anyone from getting the whimsical nail art of their dreams.

(featured images: Cami Riepe)

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