Shaving Habits of the General Population...

...SUCK!!!

I was in the hospital last week with what turned out to be stomach acid and gallstones and the doctor came to examine me and he LOOKED like a Railroad Bum! Facial hair on his throat and neck. I almost asked him if he was the janitor
It isn't just doctors I see TONS of people in every walk of life who look like total crap and it annoys me bigtime.
Are they AFRAID to shave? Do they think they look all "fly" and "hip" with that crap all over their face and neck??
Does the price of modern multi blades have anything to do with it?

What gives?
I shave daily with my Old Type and try to look presentable and I feel that other people trying to get along in society should do likewise.
Wp

Some people just dont care. Some women like scruffy men. Some (like some doctor in residence) work 70+ hour weeks and dont have time. I have a friend and her husband from HS who both took jobs at a small hospital where they have no choice to work rediculous hours. They cant get enough doctors to move to a small town in the middle of no where for half the money they could make in a big city. I know most people dont have that over their heads, but it happens all to often for the people in your example.

sandmountainslim said:

...SUCK!!!

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Fixed it for you.

I do go without a shave on weekends, but I'd agree that it is a shame that a professional would attend work unshaven.

Honestly though, I had never even HEARD of wetshaving before a few months ago. Some may be DE shavers at heart and not even know it!

sandmountainslim said:

...SUCKS!!!

I was in the hospital last week with what turned out to be stomach acid and gallstones and the doctor came to examine me and he LOOKED like a Railroad Bum! Facial hair on his throat and neck. I almost asked him if he was the janitor
It isn't just doctors I see TONS of people in every walk of life who look like total crap and it annoys me bigtime.
Are they AFRAID to shave? Do they think they look all "fly" and "hip" with that crap all over their face and neck??
Does the price of modern multi blades have anything to do with it?

What gives?
I shave daily with my Old Type and try to look presentable and I feel that other people trying to get along in society should do likewise.
Wp

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The Miami Vice look went out of style a couple of decades ago, but no one told the general population that piece of information !

GDCarrington said:

The Miami Vice look went out of style a couple of decades ago, but no one told the general population that piece of information !

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You forget the impact of Party of Five! That show alone ended shaving for at least 3 years.

Loric said:

You forget the impact of Party of Five! That show alone ended shaving for at least 3 years.

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oh god that made me laugh really hard


When I was an undergrad in college it was not uncommon at all for roughly half the guys on campus to have at least a weeks worth of beard growth.

I was one of the few guys that shaved everyday.

Heaven help you if you were looking for someone with straight and even side burns on that campus. Not uncommon to see men with one side burn a whole inch shorter on one side.

I was probably the only person my age who even noticed things like that.

Ive gotten to where I cant go more than 2 days without shaving, and I agree more and more men are starting to look like bums

Yggr said:

Ive gotten to where I cant go more than 2 days without shaving, and I agree more and more men are starting to look like bums

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So where does it place me when I've got ADs to the point where I'll forego a day or so of shaving to make sure I have the good stubble to shave when the razor/shave cream/soap/ASB comes in the mail that next day?

It seems cultural expectations and norms regarding shaving tend to vary even within the so called Western world.

Sure, shaving is the norm but to me, if a doctor shaves or not doesn't really matter as long as his clothes are clean, he has showered and brushed his teeth. I think shaving or not shaving should mostly be up to individual choice. For me, not shaving rarely justifies the "bum" label. But maybe that's just me or where I'm coming from (northern Europe). Shaving isn't the prerequisite for a "gentleman" in my books. I usually have no problem with people wanting to look "hip" either, I feel it's mainly their business.

With all respect, I think it's a misconception that men care less about their appearance nowadays. Western culture has never been more appearance-centered than today and that is clearly reflected in the sales of men's cosmetics, for example. Of course, men also have more cash to spend nowadays but the emphasis on individuality (however imaginary) drives us to be obsessed with our looks more than ever before. No doubt the definition of "presentable" was clearer and more conservative in the Fifties - whether that's good or bad is a matter of opinion, I guess.

Some people spend far longer maintaining their stubble, than I do shving mine off.

i totally aggree with that westie..went to a Metallica concert with a couple of mates last night and one mate has a pretty impressive and well shaped beard.Over dinner before hand it came up that for him to keep that face it would take longer for me to have a shower and do a bbs.But he enjoys his beard so that totally cool in my books.

I'm finding shaving habits (and in many cases, dressing habits) have certainly decayed. A personal friend has such bad habits that I made the mistake of commenting on it once (it's really none of my business but he is a friend). His reply was that since he doesn't deal with people, he doesn't really have to do a good job of shaving.

Many doctors, particularly interns and residents, spend so much time in the hospital that they don't care what they look like and don't have much time to spend on grooming. However, some think this is a look they like to cultivate: makes them look doctoral. Take a look at some of the characters on Grey's Anatomy.

As for the rest of the population, unfortunately - IMO - grooming habits have gone down hill over the years. I recall when people dressed up to take an airplane flight or went shopping. Now they look like they just rolled out of bed. Why some people think the stubble look is desirable is a mystery to me.

A lot of young kids here in the uk go for the stubble look, the look seems popular with the girls, so i suppose they jst use one of these electric stubble razors i have seen around.

Yes, it's a pity more men don't model their grooming habits on mine.

ackvil said:

Many doctors, particularly interns and residents, spend so much time in the hospital that they don't care what they look like and don't have much time to spend on grooming. However, some think this is a look they like to cultivate: makes them look doctoral. Take a look at some of the characters on Grey's Anatomy.

As for the rest of the population, unfortunately - IMO - grooming habits have gone down hill over the years. I recall when people dressed up to take an airplane flight or went shopping. Now they look like they just rolled out of bed. Why some people think the stubble look is desirable is a mystery to me.

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This all started when JFK didn't wear a hat to his inauguration.

I don't really understand the need to criticize others' shaving habits. I don't think it signals the general moral decline of America, either. I like to do this because it's comfortable and makes me feel good about my appearance and general personal habits. But I don't believe it makes people like/respect/dislike me any more. People are busy enough with themselves that my stubble probably isn't high on anyone's list of concerns. It's just a hobby, one that I really enjoy. It's for me, not them.

All of us have quirks that either bother or confuse others. To each their own.

IMHO, and no offense meant to anybody, the notion of decay etc. seems pretty strong and even a bit elitist to me. The male sex on the whole is spending more on their appearance than ever so could it be possible to view it as a case of times, preferences and values simply changing (like they always do)?

It's hard for me to say if the male culture is currently running downhill or not because even king Ludwig XIV of France was considered manly in his day strutting around in high heels, pantyhose and all. For me, there is no absolute reference point of "maleness" or presentableness.

No doubt Don Draper would have found the modern "bum" shabby and unkempt but hey, it was different times then in many respects and at least we have a larger palette of styles to choose from now.

I admit though, I find that Mad Men era with its clean-shaven style very appealing in a nostalgic way, even though I'm hardly a suit & tie type of guy myself. I wonder which Gillette Don Draper is/was shaving with?

Regularly working 24h shifts in a busy hospital here in Chicago, I can say I have let my beard grow for a day or two and still gone to work, not because I didn't want to shave... but because sleep after 24h of being awake sounds really good!

But, be sure enough as soon as I have the chance, and have caught up on at least some sleep, I break out the Futur and have some quality zen time.