Yellow plastic trapezoidal hair trimmer comb with two razor blades, one on each side and both lined with plastic guards meant to comb through hair at two different short lengths such as men's side burns, neck or beard; there are raised letters in the plastic on both flat sides and on the back there…
Yellow plastic trapezoidal hair trimmer comb with two razor blades, one on each side and both lined with plastic guards meant to comb through hair at two different short lengths such as men's side burns, neck or beard; there are raised letters in the plastic on both flat sides and on the back there is a square of plastic which is used to open and close the razor; the razor splits in half so there are two flat yellow pieces inside of which the three razor blades sit, two on one side and one on the other.
Number Of Parts
5
Part Names
a - plastic case: Length 8.5 cm X Width 6.3 cm X Height 1.5 cm
b - plastic case: Length 8.5 cm X Width 6.3 cm X Height 0.5 cm
c-e - razors: Length 4.3 cm X Width 2.3 cm
Provenance
Belonged to donor.
Dates
1960
1980
circa 1960-1980
Date Remarks
Based on the inventions of the safety razor and the twin-blade razor.
Material
plastic: yellow
metal: black
ink: green
Inscriptions
Raised on yellow plastic a): "HAIR // MADE IN BRITISH HONG KONG"; raised on yellow plastic b): "TRIMMING // RAZOR CUT // TO OPEN // PRESS & SLIDE LEFT // SIDE BURNS NECK"; printed on razor blades c,d,e): "Old Man // TRADE MARK".
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0010
0010-E5-4
Unit Of Measure
centimeters
Copy Type
original
Reference Comments
"The Unusual and Deeply Sexist History of Women Removing Their Body Hair", Mic.com, by Rachel Lubit, August 12, 2016: https://www.mic.com/articles/151191/the-unusual-and-deeply-sexist-history-of-women-removing-their-body-hair
"The History of Female Hair Removal", Women's Museum of California, Nov. 22, 2017: https://womensmuseum.wordpress.com/2017/11/22/the-history-of-female-hair-removal/
"It Started With Harper’s Bazaar…" Outskirts of the Twenties, January 5, 2014: https://outskirtsofthetwenties.wordpress.com/2014/01/05/it-started-with-harpers-bazaar/
"How Shaving Works" by Marshall Brain, Howstuffworks, June 26, 2006: https://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/men/shaving-tips/shaving1.htm
"Hair Trimmer Comb: Barber-ism Begins At Home", by bohus, October 7th, 2010: https://www.retrothing.com/2010/10/hair-trimmer-comb-barber-ism-begins-at-home.html
Research Facts
Gillette released the first "safety razor" in 1901 and advertised it heavily. Shaving became inexpensive and easier for men to do more often. In World War One, soldiers were required to shave their faces in order to fit into gas masks. Returning soldiers and advertising from companies like Gillette made being clean shaven fashionable for men, Beards were then unfashionable until the 1960s, and it remains in fashion for men to be clean shaven.
In Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, hair removal was common for both men and women, as it was considered clean and beautiful. They used tweezers, waxes, and pumice stones.
In the Elizabethan Era in Europe, England's Queen Elizabeth I set the trend of women shaping their eyebrows and removing moustaches, as well as removing the hair about the forehead so one's face appreared longer.
In 1915, an ad in the magazine Harper's Bazaar and Gillette's creation of the Milady Décolleté were among the things which urged women to be rid of hair under their arms, and as hemlines rose in the 1940s and 50s, women began shaving their legs in larger numbers and more regularly, a standard which persists to this day.
This hair trimmer comb was meant to be used in order to extend time between hair cuts by simply being combed through the hair to cut off the ends. It cost a dollar or less, and users ran the risk of cutting off much more hair than they originally wished.