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Woman with world record 24-foot-long fingernails finally gets them cut and it's so satisfying

30 years of growth gone in a couple swipes of an industrial powered circular saw.

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Viewers watch in awe as the woman with world's longest fingernails finally gets them cut

There's something about seeing something out of the ordinary, be it a strange animal, an accident or even an argument between strangers. Humans are naturally curious beings and seeing a random argument between your neighbor and her teenage son will have some people outside taking their goldfish for a walk just to gawk.

So it's not surprising that thousands of viewers tuned in when Ayanna Williams, the Guinness World Record holder for the world's longest nails went to have them all cut off. Williams had her record breaking nails for 29 years but decided it was finally time to bid them adieu and the entire thing was filmed. It's a monumental moment for the record holder after having lived with the 24 foot nails for decades.

(If 24 feet sounds absolutely outrageous for fingernails, it is! But keep in mind that Guinness tallies the total length of all ten finger nails, making each of Williams' nails an average of 2.4 feet long.)

Most of us would simply need to grab a pair of fingernail clippers and get clipping, but for Williams the process was a bit more complicated.

The record holder couldn't just head to her nearest nail salon for a fresh manicure, although she did treat her nails to one last pampering first. The manicure took more than three whole bottles of polish and took several days to complete. For reference, a manicure for a normal set of nails takes about 30 minutes.

nails, long nails, manicure, world record, guinness world record, longest fingernails, longest nailsThese nails are what we like to call "amateur hour"Canva Photos

Then she had to have her nails trimmed by a professional: Dr. Allison Readinger at Trinity Vista Dermatology, where the dermatologist used a special hand held circular saw. Williams disclosed the two foot nails were causing her joint pain and one of her thumbs was extremely tender so she was relieved to lose the weight of the nails. The nails are now on display at Ripley's Believe it or Not! Museum in Orlando, Florida.

Viewers couldn't look away from this re-shared video of Williams said goodbye to her long nails. Some comments were supportive while others...not so much.

"I’m so happy she was able to finally make this decision! I love it," one person writes.

"Wooww! It's a incredible it's been a 29 yrs," another says.

"Oh gosh so satisfying. Can't even have mine passed my finger tips. Ouf," someone exclaims.

According to Guinness World Records, Williams went through over two bottles of nail polish and gave up 20 hours of her time with every nail polish change. If nothing else, cutting her nails will be a money saver and whether you support her nail growth or not, there's something satisfying about watching them be cut off.

Watch the captivating video below:


So what of Williams' throne and title?

It now belongs to a woman named Diana Armstrong, who owns astonishing 42 foot long fingernails. You may have seen people in the news with fingernails that seem much longer, but those people often only grow the nails on one hand — halving their chances at becoming the world champ!

Diana was crowed in April of 2024.

Going for a World Record in fingernails is an extremely taxing undertaking. The nails begin to dominate your entire life, with Williams even admitting she couldn't do many daily tasks like washing dishes or changing her sheets without assistance. Not to mention all the pain and discomfort they caused her. Plus there's the upkeep, which involves rigorous cleaning that takes hours, moisturizing, and more. The question on everyone's mind, of course, is how do people with the longest nails in the world wipe after they go to the bathroom? Alas, for now it remains a trade secret, but some theorize people gunning for the world prize in nails may use wiping devices similar to the ones used by obese folks who have similar mobility troubles.

In any case, Williams was glad to retire on top, but also glad to be free of the huge burden of maintaining her hefty nails. She looks forward to seeing the next World Record holders crowned.

This article originally appeared two years ago.

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60 models. 12 sizes. One photo project to change how we view the human body.

What's size got to do with it?


Categories are great for some things: biology, herbs, and spices, for example.

Image via

But bodies? Well, putting bodies into categories just gets weird. There are around 300 million people in America, but only 12 or so standard sizes for clothing: extra-extra-small through 5x.


That's why designer Mallorie Dunn is onto something with her belief — people have different bodies and sizing isn't catching up.

Dunn has found that the majority of clothing sizes stop at an extra-large, yet the majority of women in America are over that. "And that just doesn't make sense," she says.

All images via Smart Glamor, used with permission.

Human spice rack, only, a LOT more variations of flava. ;)


That's why she started a project around her clothing label, Smart Glamour, to document the bodies of models according to their sizes — and to show how one size can look very different on different bodies.

In pursuit of creating a fashion environment that's kinder to all bodies, Dunn has dedicated herself to educating consumers about sizing.

First, she found 60 people of 12 different sizes and took their pictures.

Then, she put five women at a time in the same size of skirt and shirt to show how diversely beautiful human bodies are and to prove that everyone looks different in clothes no matter what size they have on.

She hoped to show people that 12 sizes don't even come close to capturing the beauty of the human form.

All these models are wearing the same size ... but do they look the same?

"No matter what size you are that's not what dictates your worth or your beauty."

"I had a convo with a friend of mine who was like 'Yeah, if I went from a medium to a large, I'd be fine with it, but if I went from a large to an extra-large, that wouldn't be OK' and I was like, 'Why???' And she had no rational reason behind that," Dunn said, describing a conversation we've all either had, started, or heard. "We've been taught forever that the bigger something sounds, the worse that it is."

Dunn's project also shows just how arbitrary and narrow-minded clothing sizes are.

Sizes really are just numbers.

Unlike the images we are presented both in clothing ads and in entertainment and media, human beings aren't, as Dunn remarked, "robots who come out on a conveyor belt ... we're all shaped differently."

The pressure to look one way is obnoxious. And kinda dangerous.

"We've been taught forever that the bigger something sounds, the worse that it is."

There's so much weight — no pun intended — on being the "right" size.

"You put an 'extra' on top of a 'large,' and suddenly it's the end of the world," Dunn said of her experience in fashion sizing. "... And it really doesn't mean anything, it really only means that there's an extra inch of fabric."

One extra inch of fabric.

3 in 4 girls report feeling depressed, guilty, or shameful after just three minutes of leafing through a fashion mag.

But I'd like to imagine a world where everyone can try on clothes and leave the emotional burden of worrying about fit to the clothes.

Instead, let's focus on what looks good on our bodies. Let the clothes handle the emotional roller coaster of not fitting, and you just live your life in the body you've been given.

Dunn, who has worked for fashion houses for her whole career, puts it bluntly: "Clothes are not made for all bodies. ... We shouldn't then think when something doesn't fit us that it's somehow our fault."

Dunn's models also have a group on Facebook where they support each other, compliment each other, and generally lift each other up. Model Stephanie describes it this way: "We see the beauty in one another and help each other to recognize our own beauty at the same time." Fashion leading to body optimism and confidence? Yes, please.

And Dunn herself drives a hard line when it comes to feeling good in the skin you've been given. Her philosophy is this: No matter what size you are, that's not what dictates your worth or your beauty.

Self-worth not based on appearances. That's a category we can all aspire to "fit" into!


This article originally appeared on 07.27.16

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Chrissy Teigen got real about her new 'mom bod' in an honest Twitter post.

Chrissy Teigen has never been shy about posting her truth.

On Monday, July 30, Teigen took to Twitter to get real about body confidence.

Sharing a video of herself, Teigen honed in on her stretch marks, letting viewers know that "this is my new body."

It may be hard to imagine that someone like Teigen, a Sports Illustrated cover model, would ever not be happy with her body — especially considering how often she dispenses justice to body-shaming trolls. But after having two kids, she's dealing with the fact that her body has changed. That's hard, but she's embracing it with self-love.

Just like the rest of us, Teigen's not immune to the feelings of inadequacy seeing "killer bodies" on social media induces.

That's why — instead of posting anything filtered or photoshopped — Teigen reminded her fans that "regular ol' bodies" are beautiful.

Accepting our own bodies — whatever shape, size, color, stretch marks, or no stretch marks — is an important part of self-love.

Feeling good in your skin is a journey we're all on — even Chrissy Teigen.

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Every swimwear brand should take note of Target's beautiful, Photoshop-free ads.

Spring's warmer weather can bring about an unfortunate, terrifying reminder: Beach season is around the corner.

Summer should be the season of carefree living, but fashion brands too often use the extra sunshine as an excuse to shove body-shaming ads about beach bodies down our throats for their own gain.

Target is the latest retailer to change the way it advertises beach bodies in a new swimsuit campaign featuring a diverse set of models in ads that haven't been digitally retouched.

Photo courtesy of Target.

On one hand, of course, Target's move isn't entirely selfless — body positivity, it turns out, is great for business, and at the end of the day, a business is exactly what Target is. On the other hand, it's great to see retailers realizing that body shame isn't what customers want to buy and adjusting accordingly.

No Photoshopped curves, no air-brushed stretch marks — the ads feature women enjoying the beach just as they are.

Photo courtesy of Target.

"We loved working with these women because they embody confidence and inspire women to embrace and be proud of who they are, regardless of their size or shape," Target explained in a statement.

Photo courtesy of Target.

Body-positive fashion is cropping up in more stores and in the ad campaigns that promote them.

The numbers don't lie — customers seem to appreciate the efforts.

When American Eagle's underwear line, Aerie, stopped retouching their underwear models three years ago — "There is no need to retouch beauty," CEO Jennifer Foyle had explained — the retailer saw its sales climb 14% compared to the year before during the fourth quarter.

Keeping festive with just a dose of Holiday red. #AerieREAL ❤️

A post shared by aerie (@aerie) on

Some fashion brands have gone a step further in pushing the industry away from its body-shaming ways. More times than not, plus-size models still have an hourglass shape, and companies like H&M have come under fire for using plus-size models in ads while not selling clothes over a size 14 in stores.

A groundbreaking new campaign from Lane Bryant, however, actually shows the company's new fitness line on a number of plus-size athletes in a variety of body types, truly reflecting the brand's diverse customer base.

“Seize the day. In whatever body you have today." Preach @borntoreignathletics

A post shared by Lane Bryant (@lanebryant) on

So why are we seeing these more inclusive changes from brands now?

It's not like the fashion industry's obnoxious exclusivity and body-shaming troubles are 21st century inventions.

Social media has played a big role, AdWeek reported in 2016. On platforms like Instagram and Twitter, girls and women are speaking out about wanting retailers to have clothing options for various body types as well as more diverse models to sell the products. Seeing an opportunity for their bottom lines, brands are more than willing to listen and respond.

"We're seeing a great acceptance of girls in all different sizes, which is really exciting," Gary Dakin, a former executive at Ford Models, told AdWeek. "It's not something that was happening in our day at Ford."

It's a good thing, too, because the more the fashion industry realizes every body is a beach body, the better off we'll all be.

Note: Upworthy and Target have no business partnership.

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