Razor

Smooth.  Metallic.   Simple.  Grey.  Perhaps some wood splashed on the handle.  The device folds out emerging from the grip were it had been tucked away.  A simple blade, nothing fancy.  Maybe the blade’s point is round for the inexperienced hand.  Should the hand be a veteran the blade may have a square point.  Either way the razorblade is made for one purpose and one only, to extinguish unwanted hair.  It glides across the skin cutting all in it’s way.  

The next generation of razor, the safety razor, gives the users their vanity but also safety.  Its textured metal handle is attached to the blade, but does not hide it, like the Straight Razor.  The blade is instead has a smooth metal guard.  It is smaller and does the job well for all who use it.

Plastic, colors, and brands.  The only things metal anymore is the blade.  There is no weight to the device, a Barbie doll is heavier.  The color coating screams of who it is to be used by.  Blacks, greys, and blues for the men.  While women have pinks, yellows, and purples.  They are mass produces.  They have one blade, two blades, three, four, five blades with a sixth for trimming.  They have new names Soleil, Schick, Venus, Orbix, and Fusion.  They are manual and they are battery powered.  They have strait blades and circular.  Hers come in crinkly plastic bags with bright pink flowers and ideal photoshopped legs or wrapped in plastic like a gift you pay for with light blues and purples emitting or circling the razor.  His is packaged the same but in place of flowers and bubbles there are waves and strikes of bright light against and black background.  Prices ranging from three dollars to two hundred.  So many choices so many options. 

But though the devices do the same job they are gender specific.  Our hair has not become tougher but we need more razors to cut it.  Male razor packaging has images that represent power, while all they are doing is pulling a little plastic stick with a few blades across their face.  A mundane task that many do mindlessly.  Woman’s packaging shows flowers and other soft images, but the razors cut their skin and form streaks of blood down their legs.

Is the razors modernization a step forward?