Life, 1929-06-28 · page 27 of 37
Life — June 28, 1929 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **Gillette razor advertisement** disguised as humorous content. The 3x3 grid at top categorizes nine male face types by skin texture (tender/medium/tough) and beard density (light/medium/heavy)—a playful taxonomy suggesting that shaving challenges vary widely among men. The advertisement's strategy is clever: rather than claim one razor works for everyone, Gillette *acknowledges* these differences exist, then argues the blade itself—not technique or skin type—is the constant factor. The company boasts $12 million invested in precision manufacturing and worker bonuses for quality control, positioning the blade as superior technology that compensates for individual variation. The portrait of "King Gillette" (the founder) reinforces the brand's authority and longevity. This approach—admitting product limitations while emphasizing engineering excellence—was sophisticated marketing for early 20th-century readers accustomed to simpler product claims.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
TENDER SKIN HEAVY BEARD TENDER SKIN MEDIUM BEARD MEDIUM SKIN HEAVY BEARD i t fall MEDIUM SKIN MEDIUM BEARD aie Vaan TENDER SKIN LIGHT BEARD MEDIUM SKIN LIGHT BEARD Y- TOUGH SKIN HEAVY BEARD LLL TOUGH SKIN MEDIUM BEARD dadedatal.}, TOUGH SKIN LIGHT BEARD shot, Name your beard, Gentlemen EARDS are past reforming. Blue and bristly or blond and silken, they're all hard to shave—at least you can't tell their owners otherwise. We don’t try to It’s easier to put the burden on the blade; to use the best and most expensive steel and to spend, as we have, some $12,000,000 in the past ten years to develop pre- cise and delicate machines that hone and strop that fine steel far beyond the limits of human crafts- manship. It’s easier to pay a bonus to workers for every blade they reject which does not come up to the high Gillette standard. True, it makes some difference whether your beard is heavy or silken, your skin sensitive or tough; whether the water is hot or cold, hard or soft; whether you sleptwellorbadlythenight before. But even under the worst pos- sible conditions you can count on the Gillette Blade to do its job smoothly, surely and well. It's the one constant factor in your daily shave. Gillette Safety Razor Co., Boston, U. S. A. <> + Gillette « comicbooks.com