Nail art gets creative.

Fun nails are all the rage these days.

While it might seem like a sudden trend, it's actually the opposite.

Nail art has been around for thousands of years. Women started wearing nail art in 5000 BC to indicate their social status.

For example, Queen Nefertiti and Queen Cleopatra of Egypt colored their nails different shades of red.

To color their nails, women would use the juice of the henna plant. Ordinary women were not permitted to wear the same colors as the queens, however.

The ancient Chinese also used nail art as a status symbol.

Silver, gold, and red were the most popular colors.

Nail art was used in this way until the 19th century. Then, in 1878, a woman named Mary Cobb opened the first manicure shop in New York City.

She started her own line of nail products so more women could wear it in fashionable ways.

Nail art really took off when movies started being filmed in color, as women rushed to buy the red nail polish worn by film star Rita Hayworth. There are several different types of nail art nowadays.

The most basic is when normal polish is applied to the nail.

Gel polish lasts much longer and is harder to chip.

This special type of polish must be dried under a UV light for it to set properly.

Acrylic nails are applied using a chemical solution.

They tend to be cheaper than gel nails and they're of a higher quality than the most basic polishes. Many women prefer to get gel or acrylic nails because of their interesting designs and bright colors.

Whether it's crazy patterns or simple bright colors, nail art is certainly here to stay.

Learn more at www.aclu.org.