Some seriously weird trends have been happening in 2018. Teenagers have been ingesting toxic tide pods for the sake of some YouTube recognition, Drake fans have been dancing alongside cars to show that they're #InMyFeelings, and Twitter seems to have a new nonsensical meme making the rounds every other day.
Above all else, though, the strangest trend to emerge this year has to have been all those whacky nail designs we keep seeing on social media.
You know the ones we're on about - these sorts of things:
Yes, whether it's banana nails, emoji nails, or even crayon nails, Instagrammers @nail_sunny - an account run by nail technicians from Russia - have been there and done that.
This time, however, they've really outdone themselves, as their latest design incorporates none other than live ants.
In a video posted to the page yesterday, the nail technicians showed a manicured hand complete with insects in clear plastic extensions at the end of each nail. And, unsurprisingly, not everybody was happy to see it.
While their previous designs have received high praise from followers, this particular video has ruffled some feathers amongst people who think the nail art is an example of animal cruelty.
"That’s sick! Cruelty is not art," wrote one user. "How evil do you have to be so you hurt live bugs for fun! This is the prove that this people’s would do stupid and disgusting things just to get views... Shame... [sic]"
"This is not a nail design," said another. "These are live animals and even if they are small, this is animal cruelty! They will die in the nails! That's not pretty or great ... animals are not jewelry and no accessory! That's just awful and disgusting!"
And, as one person bluntly put it: "Can’t you just do nails normally like any other technician, this isn’t creative it’s wrong."
If it's any consolation, the nail artists did let the ants out after recording the footage, and a follow-up video shows all of them still alive after being set free.
Still, this wasn't enough to satisfy some 'grammers, with many people saying that the ants shouldn't have been sealed up in such a tiny space to begin with.
"The fact that you put them in there in the first place is horrible," one person said.
But others argue that it wasn't abuse because "ants aren't animals".
"I would argue that there are varying degrees of animal abuse," argued one individual. "I wouldn’t label this animal abuse either. More like using insects for their own publicity stunt. Throwing this in the same category as dog fighting is absurd, however it doesn’t make this ok."
Another added: "Animal abuse? They're ants...we have all killed ants before."
Needless to say, the whole thing caused a lot of debate - but probably not much more than the usual nail weirdness tends to inspire in people. Whether its live insects or real food or just weird doll parts they use in their designs, this Instagram account certainly knows how to attract attention.
