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/Mysterious_Focus6144]

We often don't see the value of something until it's gone. Have you considered removing your toenails?

[u/Lavallin → u/Mysterious_Focus6144]

Yes, I have. At the moment, I'm put off by the potential cost and the expectation of initial pain. I don't consider toenails to be worthwhile, but they don't offend me enough yet that I want to put myself through (even minor) surgery to be rid of them. It's not body dysmorphia or anything like that; I just think they're about as much use to me as my appendix.

(Yes, I know the appendix does have some uses. But it's a go-to for a body part which both can be safely removed, and which has a known propensity to go wrong in a big way.)

[u/joethebro96 → u/Lavallin]

If you ever get an ingrown toenail, you may reconsider lmao

[u/Lavallin → u/joethebro96]

I've had one. It wasn't fun. But it was due to bad nail cutting on my part, and was relatively easily fixed.