Shaving is no longer man's monopoly

Shaving is no longer man's monopoly

By Yoko N. Sari

JAKARTA (JP): Do men like women who shave their bodies? Most men prefer women who shave their armpits, but how about legs and arms?

"I prefer women who have soft hairs on their legs and arms. For me it's part of their sex appeal," I Made, a private company executive, said when asked about his preference.

He said that women should not shave their legs or arms because the hair will grow thicker. But they should eliminate hair from their armpits.

"I think most men still think that the hair on women's legs and arms make them sexier...at least to me," Ucky, I Made's friend, said giggling.

"I don't care about the hair, as long as the legs are beautiful," Sutiyono, a businessman, said.

So, why do women need a special shaver to eliminate hair from their bodies while men prefer hairy legs and arms?

"The hair on my legs is not normal, it's curly and grows like a man's. I like wearing a miniskirt, so I shave my legs three times a week," Susanna, a secretary of a private company, said.

These days, when miniskirts and backless gowns are in, it seems that more women shave off their body hair.

PT Gillette Indonesia answered women's demand for a special shaver when they launched the Gillette sensor for women last week.

It took about five years for Gillette International to create a special razor handle which enables women to reach the hardest parts of their bodies.

It took another two years, after the company launched the product in the U.S. and Europe, to launch it here in Indonesia.

Despite the fact that certain outfits are in and there's been a rapid change in local women's lifestyles, the company did not dare project huge sales for the product.

"We are only targeting that about 100,000 shavers will be sold per year," Renny A. Paryanto, the company business manager, said.

Compared to sales in the U.S. the target is extremely low. Within one year of launching in the U.S., sales reached 10.6 million shavers.

Renny said most women want to be unblemished when they wear sexy outfits and because of this the company senses a demand for a special women's shaver, but is reluctant to set a huge target.

The company set a low target because there are other ways to eliminate body hair: using depilatory cream, waxing, plucking with tweezers, or just visiting a beauty salon, she said.

"It is more practical and cheaper if women use the special shaver than those ways," she added.

Other aspects which may hamper sales in Indonesia is the belief that once body hair is shaved off it will grow back thicker.

"It is a wrong concept. It feels thicker because it is shaved and automatically growing at the same time but when it reaches a certain point it will be soft again," she said.

Renny said that it is just an illusion imagined by most women.

Susanna, who has light skin, said that she prefers shaving to hairiness because her body hair has becoming scraggly after shaving.

"That's why I shave regularly," she said.

The Rp 8,000 (US$3.50) razor will compete with more established brands and other products in eliminating women's body hair. Men's objections to women shaving away their body hair is another factor to compete with. (yns)