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.

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

Thanks!

It is bad-ass because ... other people see it as bad-ass.
We don't have to tell them it is time-consuming, expensive, OCD-like, and slightly mad.
But you'll have to practice a 3 minute shave with minimal gear if you want to really appear bad-ass.

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.

My old jiu-jitsu sensei grew up in very difficult circumstances, and had to fight a lot.
He got into a terrible motor bike accident that grated the skin from his head, legs and arms, and broke most of the bones in his body. He recovered, got into jiu-jitsu, and eventually got 4th dan.
He was also a bouncer, and worked some of the baddest places where a bouncer is a target, and had to fight a lot. And they were nasty fights at that.

My old kendo sensei had a difficult life. Yet despite a lot of pain and discomfort she got to 5th dan, last I heard. She recovered from surgery on pure willpower. She has a prescence that is so strong she could stare people off the mat by just moving forward with her sword in the initial position. Never in my life have I met someone as strong willed as she.

I have the utmost respect for both people, and both overcame significant problems and went through a lot of pain and problems without giving up.

That is bad ass. Now picture you in front of the bathroom mirror, surrounded by soaps and scents, holding a razor up and trying to look like clint eastwood, thinking to yourself 'yeaaahhh. I'm baaad'

So I voted no. Not really.

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.

Bruno, your two sensei are REALLY bad ass. REALLY REALLY bad ass.
I still hold by my assertion that straight shaving is still somewhat badass.