RYAN is a lash technician living in New York. In recent years the content creator has taken the internet by storm with his extravagantly long nails. His nails are always 4-5 inches long and he only ever cuts them to get a new set. He told Hooked on the Look: "I've spent over $50,000 on my nails. People say my nails are hideous but I'm obsessed with them." His nail appointments take up to 8 hours and often cost $1,000, which he has every 2-4 weeks. After showing TikTok how he cleans, eats meals and works as a lash tech in the city with his ultra-long talons, Ryan went viral. Since then he's gained thousands of followers wanting to see each set, but also a lot of haters... "Everyone [is] just outraged at the fact that boys had long nails," he explained. Ryan read out some of the comments that his nails have garnered, such as "Why is everybody being gay", "This is fatherless activity", "Edward Scissorhands", and "It's overpriced garbage". But for Ryan, the artistry and self-expression that his nails bring him, outweigh what others think. "Don't let anybody bring you down, otherwise you are living for other people and that's not okay. You've got to be happy as well."
Follow Ryan on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube here -
@theryanjayshowofficial
Videographer - Kevin Huang
Senior producer - Yasmin Walker
Casting producer - Isley Coley-Walker
Video producer - Kate Moore
Editor - Garry Sykes
Production coordinator - Magda Ceron
Follow Ryan on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube here -
@theryanjayshowofficial
Videographer - Kevin Huang
Senior producer - Yasmin Walker
Casting producer - Isley Coley-Walker
Video producer - Kate Moore
Editor - Garry Sykes
Production coordinator - Magda Ceron
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00I've spent over $50,000 on my nails.
00:02People say my nails are hideous, but I'm obsessed with them.
00:07On social media, they went viral and had like 10 million views.
00:10It's a lot of negativity. It's crazy.
00:13Everybody was just outraged at the fact that a boy had long nails.
00:16Why is everybody being gay?
00:18This is like fatherless activities.
00:20The nails look like Edward Scissorhands.
00:22They're saying that the nails are overpriced garbage.
00:25You can never compare these nails to garbage.
00:27Garbage will never cost $1,000.
00:29Actually, this could be like a rent bill for a lot of people.
00:33I'm a lash tech.
00:34When I get a new client, sometimes I feel like they are worried.
00:45These nails cost me $1,000 and I love them.
00:49My name is Ryan. I'm 25 and I live in the Bronx.
00:53Overall, I actually haven't thought about that.
00:56So, in one year, I would spend about $43,000 on nails.
01:02I have been doing these nails for four and a half years now and I love it.
01:06My nails, I think, are probably between four and five inches.
01:11This is as long as they go. I won't dare go any longer.
01:15Some of the tasks my followers would like to see me do usually would be cleaning
01:21or like tying shoes, tying something, to see how I would do with nails like these.
01:27I would say the most challenging house chores would be washing probably small cups
01:33or getting in small corners while cleaning, maybe tying the garbage.
01:38But I would say it's a challenge just because it requires patience.
01:44And it probably just takes a little bit longer than the average person by like a minute.
01:49I pretty much do everything with my nails.
01:52And people are always amazed that I could crack these.
01:56Chips.
01:57Anything that requires gloves, I can't do because I'm not cutting the nails off for the gloves.
02:03Well, my grandma used to always have very long nails when I was growing up.
02:07Very long, crazy design.
02:10So, as a kid, I always loved the sound.
02:14Always was inspired by it and I just always knew that one day I would do my nails like that.
02:19I feel like the longer the nails, the more art you could put into whatever it is you're doing.
02:24Reactions I would get from the public about my nails.
02:28In the street, I would feel like it's more positive reactions than negative.
02:33But on social media, there's a lot of positive comments, but it's a lot of negativity.
02:38Like, it's crazy.
02:40I started as a lash tech.
02:42So, as a lash artist, I would make like little skits about that.
02:46And then one of those videos, I had little nails in it and everybody was curious about it.
02:52So, I had made a video about those nails and then that's when I had seen that went viral.
02:58Which was, I think, of me eating some hot food and it went viral.
03:02It had like 10 million views.
03:04And then I kind of just went into me, you know, showing off my nails more with my content.
03:09People say things like, gay.
03:11Or, why is everybody being gay?
03:13These gotta be kids.
03:14This is like fatherless activities.
03:16And everybody was just outraged at the fact that a boy had long nails.
03:19Especially nails like these.
03:22Men used to go to war.
03:24Who paid for it?
03:25Your sugar daddy.
03:26Some people want to know, how do I make so much money to do it?
03:29The nails look like Edward Scissorhands.
03:31Or, they're saying that the nails are overpriced garbage.
03:35Well, maybe you consider it overpriced garbage.
03:37Babe, you can never compare these nails to garbage.
03:39Garbage will never cost a thousand dollars.
03:41Where are we getting this from?
03:43It's very beautiful, very artistic.
03:45Something that I don't think, you know, you or many people could do.
03:49Just because it's not your taste and or style doesn't mean that it's garbage.
03:55Just letting you know that.
03:56Actually, this could be like a rent bill for a lot of people, I feel like.
03:59What's misunderstood about me and my nails is that I do it for attention.
04:03I don't.
04:04I get them done, you know.
04:06I just love the designs and stuff and everything that we put into it.
04:11Some people would ask questions like, I just don't understand how you do anything.
04:16And then people will reply to these people like, he doesn't do anything.
04:20Like, how can I eat?
04:21I must carry bacteria.
04:23It's not difficult eating with them.
04:28So, techniques that I have sometimes to help me eat.
04:31One of them would be poking through and actually using my nail to eat.
04:38Like this.
04:43I don't do that in public.
04:44Because I feel like people be looking at me like if I'm crazy or whatever.
04:49So, to avoid that, I'll be like, okay, let me not do too much.
04:53The nails are enough.
04:54When I go out to eat in restaurants, definitely people be staring.
04:58Staring.
04:59I'm around.
05:00It'd be interesting.
05:02Some of the positive comments I receive on social media would be complimenting my nails or my outfit or my haircut.
05:11You know, just complimenting me.
05:13And then there's a lot about how they look nice but they would never do them.
05:19Like a lot of backhanding compliments sometimes.
05:23So, I'm heading to work right now at the New York Beauty Bar.
05:26I'm a lash tech.
05:27I'm going to take you guys to meet up with my best friend slash client, Roxanne.
05:31We're going to do her lashes.
05:33She has a refill.
05:34Hey.
05:35Hey, mom.
05:36When I get a new client, sometimes I feel like they are worried about the lashes but they try not to show it.
05:48So, they'll be very quiet until the end and then they're like, oh my god, I love them.
05:53And I'm like, yeah.
05:54I was able to do that, huh?
05:56I think Ryan's nails speak for him.
05:58Like, it speaks like who he is.
06:00How he represents himself.
06:02And the way he carries it is just beautiful.
06:04I love it.
06:05Driving is the best.
06:06I love to hear his nails when he's about to make the U-turn.
06:09And they start clacking.
06:11I've seen him start his business from scribes.
06:14And from the very beginning, I always told him, you're going to go somewhere.
06:18You're going to do big things.
06:19Always.
06:20So proud of him.
06:22Yeah.
06:23The king shield.
06:24Yes.
06:26Love it.
06:27Thank you, Ryan.
06:28You're welcome.
06:29You'll never fail me.
06:30I'm glad you love them.
06:33You're the best.
06:34You always make us happy.
06:35Enjoy.
06:36Make sure you slay.
06:37And don't forget to tell them where you got them.
06:38I will.
06:39Love you.
06:44So, today with the nail artist, we're probably just going to add a couple of crystals.
06:49Show you guys the experience and the nail salon.
06:51Right.
06:53Let's do these nails.
06:55So, usually a session for the nails would be about four to five hours, depending on what we do.
07:02We try and keep it in the seasons, the colors.
07:04This design is for fall.
07:07So, these sets I would keep maybe three to four weeks.
07:11But I get bored easy.
07:14The best thing about having long nails for me is watching the art just come together every time.
07:19Am I going to cut my nails one day?
07:21Probably not.
07:23I would probably have to be alive for that situation.
07:25The only time I cut them is to get them redone.
07:27They definitely make me more confident just because of, you know, the expression that I'm able to express through them.
07:35All the colors, the designs.
07:37Thank you, muñeca.
07:38I love them so much.
07:40And I will see you in two weeks, okay?
07:42Okay.
07:45Bye-bye.
07:46Bye.
07:47To the haters, I would say, honestly, keep hating.
07:50Hating is what has pushed me to keep going and get to where I'm at.
07:54To anybody who wants to express themselves in any form or way, honestly,
07:58as long as you're not hurting anybody in the process of doing it, you know,
08:02I say do it.
08:04Don't let anybody bring you down.
08:07Otherwise, we're living for other people, and that's not okay.
08:09You've got to be happy as well.
08:20I love you.
08:21I love you.