Thread: Do you think this is Bad Ass?!

This as come up in a number of posts ever since I joined this group a year ago. I recall two threads that got heated up and that included something along these lines: "people shave with straights because it is bad ass"...
This disturbs my peace of mind a bit, to be honest. Therefore I decided to start this thread on the subject in order to try and get things straight and understand the general feeling towards straight razor shaving.

But first, let me explain - briefly - what I think of this: I don't think that this method of shaving is bad ass. In fact I'm not even sure what it means to be a bad ass... some say it is a "slang" for being manly or something. Shaving is, indeed, a manly thing, of course. But there are ladies here that use straight razors to shave their legs and even their faces as well. We know this, right? So... what gives? I have nothing against this sort of statment but I simply cannot think of it as nothing other than a missguided thought.
I think this is the utmost, the zenith of gentlemanly methods of shaving. It is a connection to a past when things were simpler, when sturrdiness and reliability and durability were very important things. How nany of us shave with razors made in the 19th century, right? And it is also a way to pamper ourselves, it's a way to keep us in touch with ourselves in a world of rushing speeds and dog-eat-dog lifestyles. And yet, this is manly, of course - but beacuse we ARE men (mostly, at least...). But, TO ME, being manly is not bad ass. This is the way the perfect gentleman shaves. And I use these razors because I aim to be the perfect gentleman... I don't do this because I think it makes me bad ass. I do it because It is the best way to get a perfect shave every time (mostly every time... ) And there is nothing manlier that a perfect gentleman. Eat that Hell's Anglels!!

But I have to admit that these are recent constructions... I decided to try this method because I was sick and tired of spending a lot of maney on disposables just to get a crappy shave. And since I'm a bit of a retro sort of person, I thought I might like this. Because of the old days feel of things, because it was a new skill I had to learn, because it does - I admit to it - make you stand out from the croud. And sure, it does make an impression: people say "You're crazy!" or "Wow! I could never do that myself!". I don't think that anyone (man or woman) would say "Man, you're bad ass" or "You're really manly to do that!"

The bad ass argument is, to me, a flaw, a falacy. It doesn't make sense to me. I find it to be infantile and misses the whole point of shaving with a straight. Of course, the whole point is a bit shady at times and each and every one of us will think differently and will have different views on the point of shaving with a straight razor... but being manly is not, to me, a good starting point nor a good way of thinking about this method of shaving. Is it because it's sharp? Is it because it's a knife?

And to top all of this off... if it's so manly and bad ass... why do we take (on average) more than our wives to get ready?!

Now it's your turn. Come out and tell us what is your point of view on this bad ass subject. Not only that but also tell us what drew you to this method and what has changed in your mind ever since you started doing this.

Thanks for the replies!

I don't think it is. It's how I prefer to shave and that's that. Someone else had recently mentioned in a response to one of the recent threads on this topic that they didn't think spending a 1/2 hour in the bathroom shaving was particularly manly. I got such a kick out of that and I agree.

Chris L

I voted yes,mainly because it takes a bit of nerve to put the blade to your face for the first few times. I have a few friends who wouldn't dare try to use one.

I don't shave with a straight BECAUSE it is badass. That, however, does not take away from the fact that it IS badass.
A good friend, who is a lot more manly than I am, built his own house with his own hands, can fix cars, do his own plumbing and electrical work, hunts, lives way out in the woods, etc, told my wife that I am into "really manly stuff like straight razors." My dear kind wife said something along the lines of "Yeah, he spends an hour in the bathroom in the morning, uses more products than I do, and comes out smelling like flowers half the time (Coral skin food, I'm guessing)...real manly."
Ahhhh...nothing like having your wife swoon at your manliness. At lerast she is impressed by my knowledge of the woods, survival and martial arts. Except jiu-jitsu, or "rolling around with my boyfriends" as she so lovingly calls it.

Originally Posted by smokelaw1

I don't shave with a straight BECAUSE it is badass. That, however, does not take away from the fact that it IS badass.

You summed my thoughts up better than I did.

Originally Posted by smokelaw1

I don't shave with a straight BECAUSE it is badass. That, however, does not take away from the fact that it IS badass.
A good friend, who is a lot more manly than I am, built his own house with his own hands, can fix cars, do his own plumbing and electrical work, hunts, lives way out in the woods, etc, told my wife that I am into "really manly stuff like straight razors."

This is pretty much where I stand. I don't shave with a straight because it is badass, but after moving to the DE, I realized that straights were something like the "pinnacle" of wet shaving (or manual shaving if you will).

That said, I can't deny that the "macho" factor is there. It's not front-and-center, but it's there - in the background. Jung might have called it part of our "shadow" self.

Most people think shaving with a straight is really dangerous. So to the extent people "respect" or admire someone who engages in constructive, dangerous activities, straights are up there. My wife once mentioned to some of her co-workers that I shaved with straights and she thought they were somewhat "scared" of me after that (I hadn't met them yet). Perception is a big factor in this. We all know straights are not as dangerous as most think they are.

For those of you who are not native English speakers, Badass can mean several things depending on the context. If you say "he's a badass". That usually means a tough guy who can fight or "take care of business". That might mean with fists or in the boardroom or any other activity done well and ruthlessly. Saying that something is badass, can simply mean "cool". I think another way to say it, is that shaving with a straight takes some "balls" - whether because of the danger (not!) or because of the commitment to time and concentration.

Edit: PS. Gentlemanly and badass are not mutually exclusive!

Jordan

Well put, Jordan.

~Rich

I think that shaving with a straight is somewhat like the difference between scooters and motorcycles. They both will get you from point A to B, but no one's ever going to really notice you on a scooter (aka a Mach 3 Power Fusion Face Dildo). However, when you come rolling in on a real two-wheeled fun machine (aka straight razor), that gets some notice, and hopefully gives you more pleasure on the ride than the scooter would. And who knows, the girls might like it

Really though, if you had to pick one shaving instrument from the three main areas of multibladed garbage, DE, or straight razors, which would you define as badass (assuming you had to pick one)?

So when's tea?

Well... I guess we can agree on the manly thing. But what about the "bad ass" thing? What do you think of that?

Thanks!

I don't really think it is important to put a label on straight shaving. Is it manly or bad ass? I don't care. I shave with a straight because I enjoy reaping the fruits of my honing, taking the time for me and the results of the shave.

To put a label on why I do it as manly or bad ass would be to impress someone and I don't care to do that. I am happy with myself as I am and do not need approval from others to be happy.

As for why people refer to it as bad ass, you said it yourself, "And sure, it does make an impression: people say "You're crazy!" or "Wow! I could never do that myself!"." Maybe your circle of friends will not and does not refer to it as bad ass, but there are people that would as you will see in their replies to your thread. You will also see some of us refer to it as 'manly' because people in there circles would refer to it in that way.

To me, being a Gentleman revers to my outward appearance and manors to the rest of the world and not how I got there, as in a shave. That does not make you wrong in your calling it a gentleman's act, just a little different than mine, which is what I am getting at here.

What ever label we chose to put on our straight razor desires we all are brothers in this venture.