Women & Shaving
The history of shaving for women prior to the early decades of the twentieth century remains something of a mystery. Like their male counterparts, women have left few written records relating to the issue of hair removal, but unlike men, they have left no clear artifactual record either. To those few observers who have considered the subject, the general concensus is that shaving was simply not an issue for women before the crucial era when hemlines went up and sleeves came off. This is ceratinly a viable conclusion, and may well be correct, but there are two niggling flies in the ointment of this perception which suggest the question should remain open. The first of these is the simple logical observation that an absence of positive proof does not itself constitute negative proof. In other words, the fact that we can not prove women were shaving in earlier periods does not necessarily prove that they did not. Given the highly private and probably embarrassing nature of the subject, it is possible that women have been removing unwanted body hair for centuries 'in camera' so to speak.
This possibility is strengthened by a second consideration, drawn from the history of Western art. Since archaic times 'Woman' has been portrayed in painting and sculpture as being perfectly smooth from head to foot, excepting only the hair on her head and - in some eras - her pubic hair. This is obviously not an accurate reflection of reality, but an abstract ideal, no doubt primarily created by and for men. Nonetheless, it was (and is) an ideal deeply embedded in our cultural heritage, and as such represents a goal to be achieved. It seems likely that certain classes of women at least - hetairae, courtesans & prostitutes perhaps - would have taken steps to conform with this paradigm of female pulchritude. How did they do it? We simply do not yet know, and may never know. Nevertheless, the persistence of the ideal remains a powerful argument that some means were probably found in various times and places.
What is certain is that once the dictates of fashion began calling for bare arms and legs - essentially the decade of the 1920s - the shaving industry was quick to step into the breach. Gillette produced its first 'ladies' shaver in 1915, and specialized products for women have remained a distinctive element in the constellation of shaving products ever since.
The question here, of course, is why and how are these products different from their 'male' counterparts? A close analysis of numerous razor models has failed to identify any difference in the construction of the key functional element - the blades - between 'mens' and 'ladies' razors. On the other hand, there are major differences apparent in overall shape, colour, decoration and packaging between the two. In other words, there is substantial differentiation embodied in the discretionary design elements of these items, but none at all in the essential components. The nature and significance of these distinctions will be examined in more detail in the section on Gender & Shaving.
Last updated: 29 December 1997
