Thread: The Art of Womanlyness

I see so many men in the forums say they like to use straights because it's a manly pursuit. But I like straights too and I'm not a man. It seems like there aren't many women that are into straight razors and I wonder if it is because it is deemed "for men only." Lets take a look at this.

It is true that in western culture women have only recently started shaving while men have been doing it for centuries. What is the real reason that women shave? A few would say hygiene but hygiene by who's standards? If hair was that dirty we would be shaving our heads too. It may sound kind of sexist but I think for the most part we shave to please men. Let's face it. Most men don't want to touch a woman that has more hair than an ape. She might have awesome legs that are a mile long but if they are covered in thick, coarse hair her sexiness level goes way down.

So, shaving is also a woman's pursuit and men like it that way.

Companies that mass produce shaving supplies figured out decades ago that women in search of hair removal were a gold mine. They started selling canned shaved gel that is pink and has a floral scent. They started making pastel colored razors and giving them cute names like Daisy. These companies make millions of dollars every year just on shaving supplies for women. Quite often the quality was not up to par so millions of women started looking for alternatives. Chemical depilatories became quite popular among women. Most of the depilatories I see are marketed for women. Salons doing waxing also became popular. Salon waxing is not cheap but a better quality of hair removal is often considered worth the price. Finally laser hair removal has come on the scene. I don't know what the actual statistics are but speaking from personal experience all the people I know that have had laser hair removal have been women except for one. It would be interesting to know how much is spent every year on hair removal by women alone.

Is wet shaving a manly activity? Not all men are wet shavers but most would consider themselves manly. Men that wet shave tend to care a great deal about their appearance. That is attractive to women. We usually notice whether or not a man has a good shave. It might be best to say that wet shaving can make a guy appear more manly.

As a woman I believe that women can benefit from wet shaving as much as a man. And if our legs are more appealing then men benefit from it too. Which are more attractive decent legs that are slightly prickly or clean legs that are soft and baby smooth? It seems that wet shaving can make a lady appear more womanly too.

I think it would be in the interest of most men to encourage more women to wet shave. Rather than emphasize that wet shaving is manly point out that it is beneficial to both sexes. For those of you that restore/refurbish razors try shortening some of your old broken razors and rounding the tips. Those are particularly handy for women. I believe there is a market for straight razors for women. Just a word of advice though. Call them ladies razors or shorty razors but don't call them "coochie razors." That would turn some women off and I'm not sure that term would be permissible at sites like Ebay anyway. They are handy for other areas of the body rather than just that part.

How about accessories for women like pastel brushes, mugs and scuttles? My own shaving brush is a black queen from a ceramic chess set. I can think of lots of shaving paraphernalia that can be made more appealing to women. I think there is market for ladies' supplies that is being missed by most wet shaving vendors. Come on guys. There's money to be made here.

Well, I'll get off my pink, girly soapbox now.

Lori

I agree totally Lori, and I wish more women would discover wetshaving, whether with a straight or with a DE. I believe it would make it a more enjoyable and nicer experience for women as it is for men. I for one never complained about BBS legs

Good post, Lori. I agree. But I do find the "feminine" color schemes a little off-putting because I think it's somewhat condescending.

I guess I see your point in the label of coochie razors, we don't call them pen-is razors, though we do have Tweezerman brushes! (do a search, I wrote a great post on the subject!). I thought the "Vincent" and "Magic", etc. razor holders that are designed to use half DE blades were the accessible alternative to safety razors as far as open razors go, they're obviously more than just hair trimmers. What is the economic feasibility of open razors for the female market? Hmmm.. only time will tell.

Hello, LoriB:

I like your thoughts and agree with you.

Both women and men deserve a quality and a healthy shave, whether on the face, on the legs or under the arms. Whether manufactures will have the foresight to produce wet shaving products for women I don't know. They should.

As for the straight razor being the manly act, I shrug it off with a loud, "Pish . . ." What makes the man is what's within that man, not the straight razor he holds in his hand.

By the way, your posts are thoughtful and delightful. I enjoy reading them. I'm glad to have you with us.

Regards,

Obie

I know this isn't really in the context you write, but I think to assign "genderness" to shaving, or anything else, you have to buy into or at least speak in terms of stereotypes, be they traditional, modern, of your own invention, something else, or some mixture thereof. While I certainly would not claim to operate outside any such stereotypes, I try to avoid them when possible, and thus do not consider shaving to fall under one. Of course, I have a pretty easy time of avoiding gender association when it comes to all things razor because I have the distinct pleasure of knowing CarrieM personally.

The first time I saw women on the forum talking about using a straight razor to shave their legs I was surprised. It seemed to me that it would be awkward and difficult since I've never shaved mine. OTOH, to me, shaving my legs with a DE , or whatever, would probably be awkward and difficult since I've never done it. Thinking back on it, my first attraction to straight razors began long before I needed to shave, when I was a child at the barber shop, watching the old barbers use them.

I began shaving with DEs in the '60s and left them behind in the '70s. Shaved with the Gillette "Good News" two bladed disposables most of my life. When I was introduced to the forums in 2006 I began shaving with DEs again. More for nostalgia than any dissatisfaction with the disposables. Then I came to the straight razor shave with no expectation that it would become my favorite way to get it done but that is what happened.

So it is not surprising to me, based on my own experience, that women would find the straight razor shave the superior way to go about it. I'm happy that shaving the legs never became the style for men. It is enough to do the face. I ride bicycles quite a bit and there is a certain circle of men, within that group, who do shave their legs. The rationals I've read on it have been for less wind resistance and/or for infection control in case of a crash/injury. Something I've never had an impulse to do. Anyhow, hats off to the ladies who've discovered the merits of the straight razor shave and smooth shaving to all.

I have shortened a coupe of razors, but they never seem to make it further than my wife's collection. I have also been making quite a few brushes for ladies lately. I don't suggest colors, shapes or anything, but the preferred colors so far have been pink, purple and one pastel blue. These colors were decided upon by the ladies themselves. The only picture I have currently is this one:

Those brushes were for two young ladies in Canada, neither of which are members on any fora by request of their father in response to their age (from what I understand). I am not about to hold back a resource like this to any potential member male or female.
I prefer that my wife wet shaves and believe that she prefers it as well. I find that she has a tendency to shave more often and she enjoys the ability to choose her scents from a broader range of creams/soaps. Of the other ladies I know who wet shave they all seem to be the type who are more aware of their personal appearance.
Regarding the hygiene issue. I find hair not to be the only problem, but the hair in an area where sweat is abundant and generally enclosed enough to make evaporation difficult causes excess microbial growth. That being said many men and women have shaved their periarea and underarms to only find that they acquire an infection like folliculitis. This was generally because of the technique used in these areas is a little different from what they might be used to. I find wet shaving to be the perfect answer to unwanted body hair as well. I have helped my wife shave as well as shaved myself and I can say that just like every facial hair growth is different as is there a difference between faces and genitalia.
All this said I would agree that wet shaving is a very womanly and as such should be supported by all of the male members of the wet shaving communities. I think that SRP has done well by offering a ladies only area to help boost the confidence of ladies asking questions that they may not feel comfortable asking in a forum full of men. The issue arises that the wet shaving community is overrun with men and as such could seem a little overwhelming for a woman who might not yet know about the currently available resources. Some know that my wife is a member here and although she is not extremely active she asks questions when she cannot find them.
In this I would like to add a personal thanks to CarrieM who has helped my wife immensely in her wetshaving persuit.

Come on Jimmy you know they shave their legs to keep the stray hairs from getting caught in the sprocket.
I grew up in a bicycle shop (literally) I always though it was funny when someone would ask them why they shave their legs, most just scrambled to find an answer.

Lori.

wonderful post! I guess I had gotten past the "gender bias" feel to things quite a while ago. I have seen some straights with pink and purple scales as well as eshave.com has a line of products marketed to women, but they take a 3 or 5 blade disposable. At this point,I actually prefer the slim and slim adjustable vintage DE's that were marketed for men although I also have a Gillette ladies razor. I think it's just finding what works for you and going from there.

Originally Posted by deighaingeal

Come on Jimmy you know they shave their legs to keep the stray hairs from getting caught in the sprocket.
I grew up in a bicycle shop (literally) I always though it was funny when someone would ask them why they shave their legs, most just scrambled to find an answer.

On various road bike forums I've frequented there have been heated debates about the merits of cyclists shaving their legs. Kind of amusing that we can get so hot under the collar over something that is a personal choice that only concerns each individual.

Back on topic ..... I agree that it is good that the ladies have their own forum on SRP. Of course we men welcome their posts in any forum they choose to participate in.