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Elephant Is So Cute With Her Pink Toenails, She Has to Walk the Runway

By Kat Blair PawNation

Updated May 12, 2026 3:24 PM

Elephants deserve to feel pretty just like the rest of us, and watching this elephant strut her stuff after getting her nails "painted" seemingly proves that these large mammals really do feel just as perked up by a good coat of polish as the rest of us.

Elephant Girl on YouTube posts videos to educate folks around the world about elephant husbandry and exotic animal care, but this latest clip is pure fun.

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"Every time I perform foot care, you guys come into my comments and say 'paint her toes,'" the woman says. "I'm not going to paint her toenails. For one, it would take like a bottle of toenail polish for each foot, and I wouldn't do that to her, but I just might chalk her toes."

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ivOj3zVoLaE

Apparently, this is not this elephant's first time chalking her toes, but the procedure has been perfected, and this wet roll-on chalk works like a charm-after some practice.

After adding a little too much water to the blue chalk paint, the woman tries again with the pink roller and a little less water. Suddenly, the chalk rolls on beautifully, and the elephant remains so patient throughout, smiling and holding her legs up dutifully while the woman hurriedly paints each nail.

Once the painting is finished, both the woman and the elephant give a bit of a runway twirl, showing off their fine work.

"Look at those tootsies, let's show them off, shall we?" the woman says as the elephant struts her stuff. "I love the crossover, do you see the foot crossed over?"

We've never seen an elephant look prettier or happier than this big, smiling girl.

Do Elephants Like to Feel Pretty?

While there is no scientific evidence to show elephants have any human-like concepts of looking or feeling "pretty," we do know these large but warm-hearted creatures love to engage in play.

Elephants are incredibly intelligent creatures, and play is an important social and developmental skill for them. They've also been shown to have a real sense of humor, using their trunks to tease caregivers and peers by spraying water, throwing hay and other silly interactions.

Of course, some elephants famously love to paint as well, and they have been known to show artistic eyes of sorts and an ability to capture their real-world surroundings with form and color.

So, even if this pretty elephant doesn't understand the gorgeous new look she's sporting, she certainly loves the attention, the play aspect of having her nails painted and the fun that comes with strutting her stuff.

This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 2:05 PM.

Do Elephants Like to Feel Pretty?

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