The Color Code Challenge: A Mental Health Movement in Full Color
By Kareem Youngblood | As seen on Food Network’s Spring Baking Championship
This May, I’m inviting you to join a movement rooted in joy, visibility, and unapologetic self-expression.
How It Started:
A kid was teased for wearing nail polish. Around that same time, I started getting DMs from strangers saying things like:
“Disgusting for a man to have painted fingernails—especially while baking.”
They thought it would silence me. But what it did was ignite something much bigger.
So I’m choosing to respond with color, joy, and community.
What Is The Color Code Challenge?
The Color Code Challenge is my way of turning judgment into empowerment—for that child, for myself, and for anyone who's ever been made to feel small just for being themselves.
This isn’t about gender or sexuality. It’s about freedom, expression, and protecting mental health with joy.
We’re painting our nails this May to take up space—loudly, proudly, and colorfully—for Mental Health Awareness Month.
But Wait—Do Men Really Wear Nail Polish?
Yes. And they’ve always had.
From rockstars in the '70s, to today’s fashion icons like A$AP Rocky, Lil Yachty, Bad Bunny, and Harry Styles—men of all identities are using nail polish as a form of expression, rebellion, and style.
Recent surveys show over 30% of Gen Z men have worn or tried polish. That’s not fringe. That’s culture.
So why are people still acting brand new about it?
When I posted a reel of myself baking with painted nails, I wasn’t shocked by the polish comments—I was shocked by how bold people felt in my DMs.
“You’re a man. Why would you wear that?”
“This is disgusting.”
I wasn’t hurt—I was energized. Because I realized: joy scares people who want you to shrink.
So let’s give them something bold to look at.
Why Creative Freedom Matters
Whether it’s nail art, food, or fashion—creative freedom is mental freedom.
When you grow up being told to “act right,” “tone it down,” or “be a man,”
you realize that expression isn’t just fun—it’s survival.
Painting my nails doesn’t change who I am.
It reflects who I am: joyful, bold, unbothered.
So this May, I’m inviting you to join me.
How to Join:
🖌️ 1. Use the official Color Code colors
Chosen by the child who inspired this challenge:
Royal Purple, Gold, and Mango Tango
💅🏾 2. Paint your nails
Any or all of the colors. One nail or ten. Fingers or toes—your choice.
📸 3. Take a photo or video
Show off the color
Share why you joined (optional!)
Nail techs can post on behalf of clients (with permission)
📲 4. Post to Instagram using:
#TheColorCodeChallenge
🗓️ Deadline: May 9th
Let’s Get Real:
Have you ever been judged for how you express yourself?
Do you have a story of reclaiming joy when someone tried to shame you?
👉🏾 Drop a comment below.
👉🏾 Tag someone who needs to see this.
👉🏾 Share your nails, your joy, your story.
We’re not just fighting bullying—we’re building community through beauty.
Let’s make this challenge impossible to ignore.
Let’s make visibility viral.
Let’s protect mental health—with color.
💅🏾 Join the challenge now at: www.kareemyoungblood.com/thecolorcodechallenge
📲 Follow the movement: @kareem_youngblood
📣 Use the hashtag: #TheColorCodeChallenge
