Straight Shaving, Part of a Larger Movement?

Most are already familiar how and why the gratifying method of shaving almost went extinct. Correct me if wrong, but as I understand it, it was a marketing scheme between Madison Avenue and the Gillette Bros. The power of the media unleashed on the lemmings of their day(if you read this Rob, I can't stop using that word, am I a lemming?) More and more lemmings jumped ship until there were just a handful of old men, who because they were old were ignored by the cool and better informed. Their collective wisdom of generations snuffed out by the mind control vehicled by newsprint and advertisments of hairless arm pits and legs and bald faced men and just a mild suggestion to "Buy it Now".
Question is, is the Straight Razor a rebelion of sorts? They say if you took 3/4 of the people who identify themselves Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Socialist etc. and really went through most issues all but a minority would generally agree enough to get any job done that was important enough. Here in the states, it is obvious as we swing from left to right and back that the majority of us are not satisfied, and few, except some real zealots are so broken hearted we can't live without our party as the rest of us cheer "get rid of the bums"!. Younger readers, trust me, make it to 50+ and you may feel the same.
Just some silly thoughts that I try not to think about while shaving lest I get nicked. The shave requires a clean mind, not programmed with silly thoughts planted in our head by the powers of media and advertisement.
Mike

I believe it's more a rebellion against high cartridge cost and low quality shaves. I think, there is a bit of nostalgia added in to the mix as well. Also there are quite a few Hams who are straight shavers also.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by freebird

I believe it's more a rebellion against high cartridge cost and low quality shaves. I think, there is a bit of nostalgia added in to the mix as well. Also there are quite a few Hams who are straight shavers also.

---

CQ CQ CQ _. _ _ _ _ _ . _ You brought that one down to earth quick.
:rofl2:

Nah - I just look hot with a straight in my hand, that's why I do it.... :D

James.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jimbo

Nah - I just look hot with a straight in my hand, that's why I do it.... :D

James.

---

LOL
James,
That totally supports my idea. If you look hot, than I am a Sizzling Sicilian Stallion. I must have got that from my Nonno Carmelo who used a straight till he got brainwashed and went Gillette! :)
Mike

What we call rebellion now is later on simply noted as a societal or cultural change. Music is one of the best examples of this since it changes so rapidly. Look at music like big band and swing. It was the big thing for a few decades, then comes along the "rebellious" rock and roll of people like Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry...hardly what we would today think of as being rebellious.

Following rock and roll, every decade has been termed rebellious in some way or another. I'm sure a few of you remember Back in Black. Yet now, it's accepted as simply changing times.

To tie this all in, look at the recent rise in popularity of Michael Buble. He's a phenomenal singer and has brought back swing/big band in a huge way. Hats and other "older" styles are on their way back. If e-bay and our user base is any indication, straight shaving is on its way back. Rebellious? Perhaps at the moment, but I'm betting that all of this "old style" rebellion will soon turn into something of a cultural change.

Cultural change can't come fast enough for me. I can't stand products that are designed to fail, just so you will have to go and buy another product that will also fail. It's not just razors, almost anything that we buy is designed to fail, break, fall apart. Cars, computers, pens, furniture, houses, kitchen wear. The list is endless. Almost nothing we buy is designed to be bought once and maybe handed down to our children.
Thats why I love straight razor shaving. It's something I only have to buy once, even if I chose to buy 30 something razors. Also, I can hand them down to my son (when he comes along) and that will be one less thing that he will have to continuously buy and throw away.

Likewise Nathan,
So what you are saying is that St8 are totally in opposition of pop culture and the forces of the mainstream commercial mindset? What kind of person thinks of buying simething to pass on to heirs other than a loving father. Loving fathers are sort of in short supply these days too. You are a radical!!!!
Cheers and ciao,
Michael

I'm just into straight shaving for the comfort of it...

This is part of a much larger topic for me, but I see evidence everywhere of people my age seeking for and finding the genuine. There's only so much poisonous advertising-mind-tar the capitalist public can take before it starts to doubt and look elsewhere. Right now is an exciting time to be alive!

Change comes in waves, and to my mind the tipping point for my generation was the movie Fight Club. In a very cool and hip way it legitimized all the anti-establishment posturing that kids were good at, but focused also on finding the tangible, the real, the genuine, instead of hating society just because. Is straight razor shaving anti-establishment? Yes, if that object-fetishism establishment wants to sell you things that break, that are made in 3rd world countries, that are made with/from poisonous materials, that you don't need in the first place, u.s.w.

Being a musician I've learned that almost no musical equipment made after 1975 is any good. There are exceptions, but those tend to be expensive exceptions. Vintage gear rules because the materials were better, the craftsmanship was better because the PAY was better, but the same amplifier in the sixties still cost less then the crap-tastic amplifiers in guitar stores today. Vintage is better because things were made to last. Amps, basses, tubes, hell even records sound better than cds in some sense.

Straight razor shaving is just one facet of modern man learning to empower himself, a way of returning to the brotherhood of hunters after it was stripped away from him by television, strip malls, suburbs. I could go on and on but then I'd feel like I was ranting, and no one likes reading a rant so here's the headline folks:

We're not counter culture, they are! We're pro culture!

:boohoo:

Here I've gone and joined a movement. :hmmm: And I thought I was just having fun. :)

I didn't do it for any rebelious reason at all. I wasn't even that bothered about buying cartriges, I was basically happy with my shave. It just didn't engage me.

I have noticed that there are a lot of shared hobbies, and that there are a lot of skills or hobbies that many people hint at being tempted to get involved with them selves. I think SR shaving is quite a good indicator of the type of person you're talking to, but not really rebelious.

There were a variety of reasons I got involved with straight shaving. Firstly I hate buying stuff that breaks, or is throwaway.

Secondly I like the manliness aspect of straight razor shaving.

Thirdly growing up in London, I was always fascinated to walk past shops like Trumpers or Trufitt and Hill on rare family forays into Jermyn Street, and thus in my early 20's began to frequent those places for a haircut or a straight shave whenever my meagre funds would allow.

Finally I'm ornery, and very anti consumer society, so anything that means that I can strike a blow, even in the smallest way is great with me.

Are we part of a "movement" ? Possibly , I think more people are becoming aware of just how big corporations manipulate via the media and advertising. Hopefully the trend towards straights will continue.

I just do it to get funny looks from friends and family.

Really, I take great pleasure in finding the sublime in the mundane. Shaving. Before I started turning away from "conventional" modern shaving, what could be more mundane? Then, through the DE, and the scents, and the time spent to do a job well, it became fun and enjkoyable. Then, with a straight, and honing it myself, and using a quality tool that should last for many more generations, it became an art. Is this too high-faluten? To grandiose for what is, really, just a morning grooming task? Perhaps. But it is MINE. I OWN IT. And as MY time, and MY task, I am free to enjoy it as much as I possibly can. And I do.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by keenedge

Here I've gone and joined a movement. :hmmm: And I thought I was just having fun. :)

---

I'm hesitant to call it a movement, an organized one anyway. It's an organic one I think. A motion that doesn't require uniforms or pamphlets.

As I said in an interview with a German business weekly, "I like things that work." Interestingly, this was for an article about Trading Up:

Quote:

---

Trading Up
Middle-market consumers, in the United States and around the world, are trading up to New Luxury products and services that deliver higher levels of quality, taste, and aspiration than conventional items. Because New Luxury goods sell for 20 to 200 percent more than standard midprice goods, they deliver higher profits. They also can sell in much higher volumes than superpremium products, and thus have greater potential for growth.

---

So, I wear bespoke clothes, have bespoke furniture, and bespoke watches. I also use, and collect straight razors, and wear hand crafted perfumes. All from shops whose owners I know personally, and like. Not quite what the author had been expecting, but it worked nicely.

Do I consider myself part of a larger movement? Possibly. I can see a return to traditional values (young people learning to use a fork and knife again, the return of dancing lessons), and a certain boredom with mod cons taking the fun out of things that should be simple, and satisfying. "Learning to use a Gillette Mach 69 Turbo was a truly satisfying experience, which now gives me peace, quiet, and comfort every morning" does not sound quite right, does it?

There is a very nice German language website called zunftwissen.org (literally "knowledge of the guilds of craftsmen", google translation for shaving here). It is all about knowledge about to get lost. But thankfully, some people still care. I certainly do, and this is why I am here.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bassguy

I'm hesitant to call it a movement, an organized one anyway. It's an organic one I think. A motion that doesn't require uniforms or pamphlets.

---

I was being somewhat tongue-in-cheek there. ;)

Me too :)

Except I bit down on it. I hate it when I bite my tongue!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Englishgent

There were a variety of reasons I got involved with straight shaving. Firstly I hate buying stuff that breaks, or is throwaway.

Secondly I like the manliness aspect of straight razor shaving.

Thirdly growing up in London, I was always fascinated to walk past shops like Trumpers or Trufitt and Hill on rare family forays into Jermyn Street, and thus in my early 20's began to frequent those places for a haircut or a straight shave whenever my meagre funds would allow.

Finally I'm ornery, and very anti consumer society, so anything that means that I can strike a blow, even in the smallest way is great with me.

Are we part of a "movement" ? Possibly , I think more people are becoming aware of just how big corporations manipulate via the media and advertising. Hopefully the trend towards straights will continue.

---

I am glad people from other parts can see this manipulation of media, although you ended up in my state!! The more you look into this the obvious it is. Want to have fun follow the GE road and see what they are up to. I do buy DMTs and I think they make the monocrystal diamonds, Somehow you can't get away. Straight Shavers Unite!!!!LOL Almost an oxymoron cause I suppose the lot of us a more individualists than LEMMINGS. (love that Rob! lemmings heheheheh)
M

Mike

Well, I don't see it as a movement. Over here on SRP we're in a bottle looking out and because we see our membership growing we think we're at the forefront of a Tsunami but that is not the case. Our straight thing is at best a tiny blip in the market and always will be.

As far as the conversion to disposables I don't think it was just marketing that did it. The simple truth of the matter is using a straight and all the maintainance and associated requirements might be a quaint hobby loved by us but to the general population it was a curse and it was good riddence once it was gone.

When my father was growing up his dad used a straight and he still talks about how when his dad was shaving all you could hear was cursing coming from the bathroom. It was enough to guarantee he would never use a straight. He thinks I'm crazy for using one.

I am happy to announce that as a treasurer of the movement I am now able to get the ball rolling and start collecting the dues from all participants.

For your convenience we accept cash, paypal, cashiers checks, money orders, bank transfers, visa, master card, american express, and discover.
For those short on liquidity and long on stock assets please send a shave-ready razor in excellent condition.

Yes it's a movement, so get moving!

Gugi,
The check is in the mail!LOL

Can I be the musical director for special events?
NO REQUESTS! and as Duke Ellington once said, "M'am, this band doesn't play waltzes."

I started down this road I'm on long ago, in small steps. At the time I didn't even know I was going down this path. I was sick of commercialism and the attitude of cut cost mass production. Making items that where designed to fall apart after a few uses, just to save money, was insane to me. My mother still lives in this mind set and shakes her head at my "excessive spending", she doesn't see that I don't have to buy the same items (most times) ever again.

I'm still a slave to buying a new computer every 5 or 6 years, or longer if I can push it. But for the most part as the years have passed I find new ways to rid myself of this "Disposable" lifestyle.

Heck I even got back into canning, my daughter wanted a different jam and jelly. I now read labels almost every time I pick up a processed food item, and was shocked at what these items have in them, :soapbox: So now I start making my own...

Ok off the soap box for me...

Gentlemen,

Allow me to start with this story:

A young opera composer asked Giuseppe Verdi for advice, showing him a scene and going into a lengthy explanation about how he would put it to music. "Is that what you, too, would do with that, master?" he asked, then. "No," said Verdi. "I would just sit down and write a little music."

Which brings me to my point: I prepare my Hollywood face every morning, open the straight razor and then shave. Why do I do that?

Because it adds another notch of the "good" to my life.

Regards,

Obie

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kingfish

Gugi,
The check is in the mail!LOL

---

Excellent, it better clears you know... <fondling the ban button> :p

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bassguy

Can I be the musical director for special events?
NO REQUESTS! and as Duke Ellington once said, "M'am, this band doesn't play waltzes."

---

Absolutely, the spot it still open and I'm soliciting bids. The customary selection process applies, i.e. the largest 'application fee' wins.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gugi

Excellent, it better clears you know... <FONDLING button ban the>:p


.

---

It will clear like thin air!!:)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gugi

<fondling the="" ban="" button="">The customary selection process applies, i.e. the largest 'application fee' wins.

---

Are we talking music director or senator from Illinois?
</fondling>

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gugi

I am happy to announce that as a treasurer of the movement I am now able to get the ball rolling and start collecting the dues from all participants.

For your convenience we accept cash, paypal, cashiers checks, money orders, bank transfers, visa, master card, american express, and discover.
For those short on liquidity and long on stock assets please send a shave-ready razor in excellent condition.

Yes it's a movement, so get moving!

---

One may find many things here that are certainly formed from some kind of movement

Come on, you have to admit that cartridge and safety razors are WAAAAY more convenient than straight shaving. No stropping, no honing. The trade-off is that you get a lesser quality shave with those methods.

Frankly, if my face was not so pesky, I'd use another method. But straights seem to be the only method of shaving that gives me a close shave without destroying my face!

As for the original question... it might be part of a larger movement, but I am not part of it, clearly : )

Hard to tell if there are any movements going on but...

Stuff!!!
We do seem to be more and more inunandated with stuff - things to buy / have / do, advertising everywhere, expectations to pack more into our busy lives, mobile / cell phones... online forums (how about talking to the family??)

Antidote to our crowded, fast lives?
In different ways, people may be looking for antidotes to their crowded lives...

• 'slow' food, home cooking, organic, local produce cooking
• do it yourself
• unplugging from the computer / tv (even if only for one night!)

Traditional skills?
Maybe there is some nostalgia.

Sometimes things are cheaper and better done yourself - have you changed a washer in your tap? changed the oil in your car?

Sometimes it's cheaper and easier to pay - puncture repair for the car?


I guess there are different motivations for starting the straight razor shaving, but I suspect that we have similar reasons for sticking with it. This would include slowing down and enjoying your time, the mindfulness of the shave...

All the best,
Michael.

I'm just getting into straight razor shaving, but it's no coincidence. It just seems to jive with my own character. My razor and brushes look so nice next to my typewriter. But I'm also am aware that on a deeper level, I am so attracted to straight razor shaving because it has a certain sense of quality to it. I'm sick of disposable, single-use, double-packed, made by someone you don't know by ingredients you couldn't pick out of a line up STUFF that is pasted all over our lives like an ugly collage.

Call me preachy, but I'm proud that my method of shaving doesn't fill up landfills as quickly as most people's. I've seen Idiocracy, and that prospect scares the hell out of me, even if I don't live long enough to see it.

I straight shave for the same reasons I do a lot of other things, ( I am of course a luddite] I grow my own veggies,hunt for my own meat, with a muzzel loader, brew my own beer, etc I like being as independant of the system as possible, give the big corporations as little as possible !! I find pleasure in all forms of skill.

Cheers :beer1: