Sales of Schick razors are down ten per cent, Proctor and Gamble, makers of the Gillette line of products, have seen razor sales drop in developed markets. It turns out that an increasing number of men are abandoning shaving, growing out their beards, and putting a dent in the bottom line of the different razor companies.
I've had a beard for a few years now, so perhaps I can give some insight into why an increasing number of men are abandoning razors and letting the hair on their face grow out. So why does my face have a blossoming collection of hair on permanent display? It's partially a general distaste for shaving, which is partially caused by companies like Proctor and Gamble.
The trend towards a smooth face is one of those things that was driven by razor companies. It makes sense, they want men to shave, because that's a way for them to sell razors and make money. So, for years, the clean shaven look has been one of the ones pushed hard in advertising and by various celebrities. It is sold as a way to look desirable and handsome, so people happily bought razors and shaved every day. While some people preferred a beard, the clean shaven look was generally regarded as the alternative that looks best on most men, because that's what was pushed hardest.
Then, something happened, the razor companies got into a bit of a blade war. Gillette went to three blades, Schick went to four. Then, in the escalating tensions, Gillette threw down the gauntlet with a five blade monstrosity, which even vibrated for some reason. They kept pushing harder and harder, trying to get increasingly complicated razor arrangements into the bathrooms of men around the world. Only shaving with three blades? You might as well be shaving with a rock.
As a result, increasingly complicated and disposable razors flooded the market, each one pushing hard the idea that your old razor was a useless piece of garbage. The improvements were negligible, if they were there at all, and the market was saturated with dubious innovations and attempts to sell the same old idea with more blades attached.
This is roughly where I gave up. With the relative expense of razors and the increased amount of nonsense tied to their marketing, I thought it would be a good idea to see what would happen if I just didn't buy them anymore. So, the hair grew, and I liked it much more than the clean face I had before. I didn't do it because it was cool, but because it was less maintenance for a result I greatly preferred.
More men have been discarding the razors every day, and it's leading to a new trend. Some of the trend can be traced to popular musicians embracing their beards, men's health initiatives leading to months were they attempt growth for a cause, and a general movement towards just trying out what facial hair looks like. While a lot of people are doing it to follow the latest trends and fads, I think that a significant number are like me. Men who, after years of being sold on the virtues of a clean shave and increasingly complex razors, have finally tired of that specific image and have thrown in the towel. After years of being told that there's something wrong with a beard, we have tried it, and it turns out beards are pretty great.
