Diana Armstrong’s Record-Breaking Fingernails
A Minnesota resident named Diana Armstrong has set a Guinness World Record for the longest women’s fingernails, which measure 42 feet, 10 inches long and take two dozen bottles of polish and 2 days for her grandchildren to do her nails once a year. She hasn’t cut her nails since 1997.
“Some people say ‘ooh, they are so beautiful’. Then other people make faces. so I stay in the house most of the time,” she explained.
Armstrong says she’s always had long nails like her mother, but since her 16-year-old daughter Latisha, who used to manicure Armstrong’s nails every weekend, d!ed from an asthma attack in her sleep 25 years ago… Armstrong says she can’t bear to cut them.
“Anytime I thought about cutting them off, it gave me chills like I’m going through that grief all over again. I didn’t want to go through that again, so I just kept them. It’s like keeping her close to me,” Armstrong says.
The length of Armstrong’s fingernails can make it difficult to do many daily tasks, like picking clothes or money from the floor.
“If it’s something on the floor, if I ball it up or curl it up, I use my toes. If I have to pick up a phone or something, I’ll cross them and pick it up,” she says.
But when it comes to keeping her daughter’s memory alive, Armstrong has got it nailed.
“When I started growing them, it wasn’t to be in the Guinness Book Of World Records,” she said. “Now since I am, I tell people, you shouldn’t judge people because you don’t know what people have gone through.”
The Guinness World Record
Diana was officially recognized by Guinness World Records in 2022. Their Instagram account highlighted her achievement, noting: “The combined length of Diana’s fingernails is longer than a standard yellow school bus!”
Social Media Fascination
Armstrong’s extraordinarily long nails have sparked the social media significantly curious. Users wonder about her daily life, with questions like, “How does she wipe? Genuine curiosity,” and “How does she get anything done at all, like anything, including fitting into a car or clothing?”
Practical Challenges
The practicalities of living with such long nails intrigue many. One user asked, “Has she ever worked? Like, there’s no way you could legit do anything herself.”
Diana’s achievement not only fascinates but also raises questions about the challenges she faces daily.
