The razor and its history!
Let's see an invention that, if you want to use it, you use it, if you don't want to, you don't use it - because your hair is yours, you can do whatever you want with it!
The oldest blade ever found, which was used as a razor, dates back to 18,000 BC!
In general, sharp objects used as razors have been used for thousands of years! Although they may not have looked like today's razors, they were not much different in terms of use!
In prehistoric times, men used sharpened stones, sharpened shells, and even shark teeth to shave!
The first razor with a decorated handle (like those used in barbershops) was manufactured around the 18th to 19th century in Sheffield, England (the same city where bands like Arctic Monkeys, Pulp, and many others come from!)
Safety razors with reusable handles were introduced to the market in 1903 by the well-known company Gillette! Their inventor, King Camp Gillette, believed that reusable cheap razors would be more successful than expensive razors that needed frequent sharpening!
So, Mr. Gillette came up with a trick! He sold the razors at a price lower than the production cost, and the money he made came from the sale of their replacements!
In general, the concept of systematic shaving for men started in America in the 20th century, after World War I! It was mandatory for soldiers not to have beards so that oxygen masks could fit properly on their faces!
When razors became fashionable, the market was sure about men because they have beards and would want to make some changes according to their needs and the fashion of the time (they can trim, shave, grow mustaches, etc.)
However, when razors came out, women were not so interested in buying them because, anyway, they wore clothes that covered most parts of their bodies.
So, how would the shaving industry profit from them?;
In the early 1920s, many advertisements came out saying that now it is fashionable to wear revealing clothes and it is embarrassing for women's armpit and leg hair to be visible!
This way, the shaving industry started making money from women as well, and thus a whole culture was formed around the concept of "hair"!
It is impressive that in 1920, when this trend first started, it was a topic of discussion whether a woman shaved her legs, while now it is a topic of discussion for the opposite!
This phase of women shaving everywhere has become ingrained in our minds as something "normal," while 100 years ago (which is not that long ago) it was something completely new!
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