Conclusion
I have attempted to demonstrate in this electro-essay how the application of the theories and methods of Material Culture Studies to even the most innocuous of common consumer goods can reveal an enormous amount of information about our culture and the forces that shape our lives. In particular, we have seen how a physical analysis of modern razors has revealed the existence of strong and identifiable gender-distinguishing characteristics. As an extension to this analysis, I have also tried to indicate, however briefly, that a further investigation in to the consumer and grooming rituals surrounding the act of shaving begins to clarify how and why those values are integrated into our individual selves and perhaps how they are passed along from generation to generation, even although prevailing 'political correctness' demands that we abandon these distinctions. In this way, from simple beginnings, we can see how artifacts not only reflect the culture that produced them, but in some ways also contirbutes to the maintenance of those cultural values and the ideological framework they support.
Last updated: 29 December 1997
