Shaving is a gendered practice and razors a gendered technology. People have shaved off body hair for a variety of reasons, depending on history and culture, including: to stop the reproduction of lice and fleas; to make eating easier; to prevent infection; superstition; and to achieve a look considered appropriate for one’s sex category.

Western manufacturers sell women’s and men’s razors, even though the razors themselves are remarkably similar or exactly the same in many cases. The razor evolved from “cut throat razors” to electric shavers and, eventually, to the different varieties available today. Companies realized that they could make their buyer market larger if they targeted razors to women instead of just to men. Companies added prefixes such as “lady” and “miss” to their original products in an attempt to feminize the razor. Some razors were also made in pink and decorated with flowers. Razors for men are black or silver. Tiny safety razors for women appeared in the 1920s, and were touted as “scientifically designed for women,” as though women’s body hair required a different technique for removal.

The advertisements for razors distinguish men from women as shavers. For example, Schick’s advertising content frames men as aggressive, athletic, and not really emotionally sensitive, even while they are selling razors to men with sensitive skin:

“It’s cool to show your battle wounds. Like from the time you wiped out on your mountain bike. Slid into home plate. Took out a bush on your blades. Crashed down a mountain while climbing. A little road rash can be hip. But scars on your face from shaving are an embarrassment. If you’ve been going head-to-head with your razor, reach for the Schick Protector. And kiss the toilet paper patch-jobs goodbye.”

“Coffee houses. Fluffy pets. Calling your mother. To give the appearance of sensitivity, you’re going to have to go a little further, but not on your face. If you’re bummed about the nicks, cuts, bumps or rashes that always appear when you shave for a big date, interview or an important meeting, then check out the Schick Tracer FX. It’s specially designed to keep you from looking like a sensitive guy—on the outside.”

In contrast, Schick’s advertisements to women frame shaving as a necessity for sex appeal. Women are framed as having delicate skin. For example:

“Job interview. . . hot date. . . anniversary. . . client meeting. All are important events, but none are reason to worry about shaving your legs or underarms. Schick Silk Effects is a reliable razor, designed with a woman’s needs in mind. The unique shaving system delivers the unsurpassed safety a woman desires, while ensuring a close shave for smooth, beautiful results.”

The only real differences between the men’s and women’s razors are the flexibility of the razor’s head and the comfort strips with various moisturizers. The technology itself is not made for a man or a woman. The technology is gendered when the color, package design, and advertising get implemented to gender the user of the technology in particular ways.