She can do it all — and she can do it in heels.
A model revealed she lives a double life as a mechanic — but all the men make fun of her glamorous style.
Peyton Cicconi can fix engines just as well as the men in the industry, and she can do it while sporting XL-sixed nail extensions.
The 25-year-old from Oakland, California, has spent over $6,000 on her nails over the past five years and refuses to make them shorter for the job.
“I face a lot of difficulties in the industry as a woman such as daily harassment and men belittling me,” the influencer told NeedToKnow.Online. “When I started my automotive technician course, I was the only woman in my entire class of 100 people.”
Aside from her manicures with eccentric designs and colors, she also wears fishnet tights and mini skirts to repair cars.
Cicconi’s passion for cars began as a kid when she would play Hot Wheels with her twin brother, and she believes her career path as a mechanic was set since she was a baby.
‘Women definitely feel more trusting … They know I’m not going to overcharge them or scam them just because of their gender.’
Though she has seven years experience in the male-dominated industry, she still finds she’s not taken seriously and is frequently harassed on the job.
Even with referrals, Cicconi had a hard time getting work as a mechanic.
“My school principal would be calling managers telling them I was capable of suspension jobs and they would still be hesitant to have a woman at their shop,” she shared.
Cicconi first started getting her nails done since she also works as a model, but she uses her career working with cars as manicure inspiration.
“I started having fun and customizing my nail polish colors to match my cars and trucks paint so I guess it just took off after that,“ she said.
Every time she went to get a new set done, she would get her nails longer and longer.
It took her a lot of trial-and-error and broken nails to figure out how to work with them.
Her most recent set of nails, which she says is her favorite, is the longest she’s ever gone — three inches long.
But her long nails have come in handy for her friends and colleagues.
“I’m always being called so they can use my nails as a pick or to scrape something,” Cicconi said.
She documents her life on her TikTok account under the handle @minitruckbabe, where she has 1.2 million followers and has racked up 19.9 million likes on her videos.
Cicconi often shows her fans how she installs car parts using her long nails, and many fans rush to the comments to show their support.
“Awesome job gorgeous,” one person wrote.
“Love how u do it with heels and nails,” another said.
“I love this. This is what I want my daughter seeing, and sons,” a parent commented.
Cicconi loves to share all about her love for mechanics, but it doesn’t always come easy.
She shared she’s often the target of mean comments from trolls and she’s had “a lot of heartbreaking things happen.”
“A lot of men online have called me fake. So many industry professionals were hating on my nails – it felt so unfair and I felt alone,” she admitted. “I was depressed at one point and didn’t know if I should keep my nails.”
However, Cicconi hopes that her videos can inspire women to follow through with their passions while still being glam.
“My videos of me working in nails has started a worldwide movement of confident women that aren’t afraid to embrace their feminine side,” she said.
“In my opinion, women are so teachable and great learners when it comes to automotive mechanics! [And] women definitely feel more trusting coming to a mechanic like me, they know I’m not going to overcharge them or scam them just because of their gender.”