break a nail?

What is the context?

Breaking a nail means different things to different people.

It can simply be the breaking off of a fingernail (painful and a nuisance)

OR

it can be a real issue to a woman who has just gotten a manicure.

Best to show context when asking a question like that . . .

The context is--------We couldn't imagine being wicked enough to smoke on the street,but it was something to shoot for, something that samcked of high heels and saying "damn" if you break a nail.
This is a girl who is talk about her best friend and her smoking in the street. could you please explain the whole sentence in simpler English? Many thanks.

We couldn't imagine being wicked enough to smoke on the street,but it was something to shoot for, something that samcked of high heels and saying "damn" if you break a nail.

Means:

We didn't want to be bold enough to smoke cigarettes on the street, but that was the attitude we wanted to develop, something like wearing really high heels and swearing out loud over something little, like just breaking a fingernail.

What means by to break a nail?

This isn't idiomatic English, Nancy.

What does it mean to break a nail?

[quotes removed to thwart the virus or hamster]