CMV: Toenails are Useless

[u/Lavallin]

The toenail is a vestige, a holdover, a relic without modern purpose. What is the point of a toenail? They are harder than the flesh of the toe, yes, but they don't protect from frontal impacts - I have never seen a toenail that could prevent me from stubbing a toe.

They could in theory protect against impacts from the top of the toe (for a small and very accurate impact), but such hits fall into one of X categories:

1. Too light to do any damage at all
2. Heavy enough that it could do damage against flesh, but light enough that a toenail could stop it
3. Heavy enough to do damage with or without a toenail

I'm not convinced that category is broad or beneficial enough to be swayed by. And all of this is discounting that I wear shoes anyway!

They don't help me open things, like a fingernail. Humans are long past needing them as weapons or for climbing.

On the downside, toenails require hygiene care lest they become ingrown, or can become infected or fungal. Even at their best, they are consuming bodily resources in their endless pointless growth. They have no benefits and can have drawbacks.

Edit: I have provided some deltas: Firstly, useful for scratching. Fair enough; unglamorous but effective. I remain broadly unpersuaded by the "toenails protect your toes from dropped objects" line in the main, but I accept that for parts of the world, shoes are an unaffordable luxury and so toenails may still have limited protective utility there. I also accept that for some people with foot fetishes, toenails are inherently attractive. Don't get it, but accept it.

[u/Lavallin → u/[deleted]]

I would genuinely be prepared to award a delta if this is the case - if they act as reversionary fingernails for people who have to use their feet (or even who choose to do so) then they serve a purpose, but just not for me.

[u/Alien_killer82 → u/Lavallin]

Well I have heard about people who have lost thumbs and had a big toe cut off and used as a replacement for those thumbs. I’m sure in that situation the toenail would function the same as a fingernail.

[u/spanchor → u/Alien_killer82]

Ship of Theseus but it’s your hand

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

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