Houston Woman Nearing Record For World’s Longest Nails

Yani Williams is 23 years into her goal of entering the Guinness Book of World Records for having extremely long nails. This Houston woman already has 26-inch-long fingernails, and she’s not going to stop growing them anytime soon.

Having such long nails is a lot of work. Williams told the Houston Press that she spends about $400 a month on maintaining her finger accessories, and manicuring them is a lengthy process, sometimes taking a week! There are some fun benefits as well. Williams joined Ripley’s Believe It or Not for a book tour, and she’s gained quite a bit of notoriety in the long-nail community.

Williams told WFAA that she hopes people will remember that a person’s unique look only enhances their personality. “A lot of people are in hiding because of the way they live and they’re different from everybody,” she told the news. “If you didn’t see my nails, you would think I’m just like anybody else. But by the time I put my nails out, (they say) oh she’s a freak.”

Her nails don’t define her, but she proudly displays her bold lifestyle choice even if it takes some people a while to accept her potentially record-breaking hands.