(I know I had nothing to say. Things change)
While reading the newspapers during lunch, I ran across an extremely interesting article in the Orange County Register about how women prefer men’s razors for shaving their legs.* According to Gillette, 28% of women say they prefer a man’s razor to anything made for a woman. The article notes that razor companies have tried to create a market for the woman’s razor by introducing colorful, newfangled designs – rubberized shower grips, built-in shaving cream and a fat handle. But these women refuse to be fooled by pretty colors and styles, believing that if men’s razors were made to slice through thick beard hair, then they should work even better on fine leg hair. Is there a real difference? According to Gillette, the blades in the Venus and the Mach3 are exactly the same; in fact, all Gillette razors have the same blades. The only difference is the handle: The Venus is lightweight and rubberized to give women a better grip in the shower, while the Mach3 is made of metal. The Venus also offers two strips of lubricant while the Mach3 has only one. What do I think? I harbor no opinion, as my wife uses other methods, and any other observations are purely visual.
The article has some interesting, and potentially inflamatory, statements:
- It states that like the man’s dress shirt, the man’s razor has become a vivid example of the fundamental difference between the sexes, noting that a woman can co-opt manly things while men have no choice but to helplessly watch their stuff disappear from closets and drawers.
- The Gillette spokeswomen is reported as suggesting in the article that “perhaps women who preferred the Mach3 had tomboy qualities that made them less interested in grooming”, positing that they also wore less makup. However, the article noted that the opposite were true: women who prefer the Mach3 are more obsessed with having smooth, touchable legs than the average woman.
So, for the women reading this: What guy-targeted stuff do you prefer?
For the men: What girl-targeted stuff do you prefer?
* You may need to register to read the full article, but it is worth doing. However, you can also visit here and get a registration code.
