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