Archive · 11 Jun 2025
Gillette's Marketing Strategy Changed Women's Body Hair Standards
Long ago, women didn't usually shave their body hair.
Then, a razor company, Gillette, saw a chance to sell razors.
They told women that smooth skin was beautiful, and body hair was a problem.
This worked!
Soon, many women started shaving regularly, even though they hadn't before.
Razors became a normal part of getting ready, not because they worked better, but because people were told to do it.
Today, even though razors haven't changed much, women still spend billions on hair removal, thanks to the idea Gillette created.
Many brands offer more ways to remove body hair, like waxing or laser treatments.
Before the early 1900s, women shaving wasn't common.
Gillette launched a campaign to market shaving to women, creating the 'First Great Anti-Hair Movement'.
The Milady Decolletée razor, priced as a premium item, was introduced in 1915.
Advertisements framed smooth skin as essential for femininity and confidence, which boosted razor sales.
The women's razor market is valued at billions, with established societal norms still in place.
- Who
- Gillette, and eventually millions of women.
- What
- Gillette's campaign created the social expectation for women to shave their body hair.
- When
- Early 1900s, with the campaign starting in 1915.
- Where
- American store shelves.
- Why
- To create a market and sell razors by making body hair a problem that needed a solution.
Consumers
N/A
Body Hair Standards
Consumers
Many women still feel pressured to remove body hair due to societal expectations.
N/A
N/A
- Product
- Milady Decolletée razor
- Initial Price (1915)
- $5 (equivalent to ~$150 today)
- Women's Razor Market (2022)
- $3.97 billion
- Expected Market Value (2028)
- $5.28 billion
- Market CAGR
- 4.85%
- Companies Mentioned
- Gillette, Venus, Veet, Nair, The Bombay Shaving Company, Carmesi, Tria, Philips Lumea