I know I am overprotective but does this seem reasonable?

I am the first to admit that I can be overprotective. There are lots of reasons for this, partly because my parents were and now as an adult I see how well it worked out for me when I see old school mates who were always allowed to go anywhere, do anything, and have now wound up in less then wonderful places with their lives. Also partly because I do volunteer work with groups that address children's safety and exploitation prevention among others, and the other part is simply because I am a paranoid (but educated and aware) spazzatron.
A few weeks ago I saw an old friend with his daughter who is not yet a teenager, she had on a set of fake nails from the salon, not press ons but the kind that stay on for a long time.
Is it because I have a son and am out of touch with what's appropriate with girls? I don't really believe that.
She's just turned 11, so she was probably 10 when she got them put on. Totally not my business so I didn't say much except to ask how old she was (with bug eyes and chin to the floor but that was partially because I thought 'how could this girl be 16 already, my how time flies').
I have to relent in the fact that since I didn't make a point of asking, I don't know the details surrounding the nails aside form her age and the fact that they were VERY long (leading me to suspect that they had been on for some time).
I just can't find a legitimate reason why a child of this age would be allowed to go out to school and in public in general with those on.
Can anyone offer somelogic for this or am I right in thinking these parents either watch too much MTV or not enough?