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It\u2019s not every day I get served an image of glossed lips kissing someone\u2019s toes on Instagram, but apparently, today was that day. At first I thought I was hacked or somehow logged into a stranger\u2019s burner account, but upon a further inspection I found that it wasn\u2019t a fetish page putting feet on my feed. The source was none other than\u2026 Essie. Yes, that Essie\u2014the 35-year-old nail polish brand best known for its demure, light pink shade, \u201cBallet Slippers.\u201d Served to the brand\u2019s 2.1 million followers, the post was made to promote \u201cBerry Naughty,\u201d a deep red shade. Besides making it to the brand\u2019s main feed, the image also appears to be the account\u2019s new profile photo. They\u2019re really committing to the bit, huh?<\/p>\n
Essie\u2019s audience is demonstrably confused by seeing a mouth so close to a foot on a Tuesday morning. \u201cHey so this is crazy,\u201d the account of Adore Beauty, an Australian online beauty store, commented. Another wrote, \u201cYou can still delete this.\u201d Others posed perfectly valid questions, including wondering whether or not it was April Fool\u2019s Day and “Is Quentin Tarantino running your socials now?” I feel particularly connected to the account that simply wrote, \u201cHELLO???\u201d But, after scrolling a bit, I decided I\u2019m on Essie\u2019s side here. “Everyone out there selling and buying feet pics but here y’all pretending to be grossed out,” one comment reads. And you know what? They\u2019re right. The foot itself isn\u2019t even offensive\u2014in fact, it\u2019s perfectly pedicured. Maybe add it to your summer 2026 vision board instead of condemning it.<\/p>\n
Now, why is Essie posting feet pics on main? Other than the fact that it\u2019s a nail polish brand and we do, in fact, wear nail polish on our toes, it appears that the company is going through a metamorphosis\u2014not<\/em> a mid-life crisis. This rebrand isn\u2019t exactly news, though. On March 31, Instagram account @peaplebrandsandthings posted about the global revamp, which apparently will thrust Essie into a new era they\u2019re calling \u201ccheeky luxury.\u201d The post included a sneak peek of the toe-kissing image, and the commenters were far more forgiving. \u201cThis is going to be GOOD,\u201d one wrote, while Ouai founder Jen Atkin said, \u201cI love a rebrand.\u201d<\/p>\n Although this is a departure from its previous unassuming image, we shouldn\u2019t be surprised\u2014risk seems to run deep in the brand\u2019s DNA. For its launch in 1981, founder Essie Weingarten flew to Las Vegas to adorn the nails of card dealers, cocktail waitresses, sex workers, and tourists gambling their wages in Sin City with shades like \u201cBordeaux\u201d and \u201cBaby\u2019s Breath.\u201d And people loved it, too. \u201cIn addition to being long-lasting, Essie\u2019s lacquer shades are perfect,\u201d a 2003 Allure<\/em> article states. \u201cTheir reds are sexier, their bright pinks are juicier, their sheer nudes are more sophisticated.\u201d<\/p>\n This appears to be phase one of Essie\u2019s reinvention\u2014more titillating ads will be posted to honor their classic shades, including \u201cBallet Slippers,\u201d and \u201cMarshmallow.\u201d If you thought the foot photo was risqu\u00e9, maybe prepare for what could be in store for \u201cBikini So Teeny.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n