This post is sponsored by Schick, who helps us keep our legs silky smooth. Thanks for supporting FabOverFifty!
Watching mothers and college-bound daughters shopping together for back-to-school gear during the last weeks of summer always brings back memories of my own experiences decades ago.
(Gannett/Mary Frank)
But I smile to myself when I think what a strenuous process it was in 1964, compared to today, because of what we had available to us and where we had to buy it.
Think of all the new stores that have emerged since then, from Container Store to Walmart, Bed Bath & Beyond to Rite Aid, all selling incredible selections of merchandise that make things worlds easier, and more pleasant for students, every single day. Heavy typewriters, dictionaries, thesauruses and writing supplies were among the necessities we schlepped to campus. We stashed our makeup in heavy, hard-bodied Samsonite cases that matched our cumbersome luggage. The luggage weighed a ton in the first place; Arnold Schwarzenegger couldn’t have carried it after it was packed.
We also concocted makeshift caddies to transport our shower supplies from our dorm rooms to the communal bathrooms. And those caddies were jam packed with everything from heavy glass bottles of shampoo and metal aerosol cans of hairspray to metal razors and tiny boxes of individually wrapped razor blades.
“Lightweight,” “compact” and “easy to use” were not part of our vocabulary in the sixties.
Now students can choose their favorite storage caddy from a vast selection of styles, sizes, and materials. They don’t have to stock up on health and beauty supplies that will last them for months, since countless chain drug stores ring practically every college campus. Not only that, the supplies have come a long way. Shampoos and conditioners come in lightweight plastic bottles; hair dryers are handheld, compact, and powerful, and metal razors that used double-sided (and dangerous) razor blades have given way to sophisticated, lightweight versions, with exchangeable cassettes, that make shaving legs and underarms easier and more effective than ever.
Schick is one of the brands that has been going back to school with young women for generations.
Every year it gives its razors cool features to help coeds glide through their bathroom routines, literally and figuratively. Its new Hydro Silk razor is the first and only disposable to moisturize skin while they’re shaving. Tested by dermatologists, the razor head is surrounded by a water-activated serum–made with marine extracts and shea butter–to help give back moisture for up to a couple of hours after shaving.
The razor’s soft handle is easy to hold and control, and the oval cartridge, with five blades, is designed to closely follow the curves of a woman’s body, skin guards on the blades are supposed to prevent irritation, and a travel cover is a whole lot better than wrapping your razor in tissues, to make sure to keep the blades safe. That’s another of the crazy things we concocted in 1964.
When I was in my local Rite Aid recently, I saw a mom grab a Hydro Silk for her daughter, who didn’t look terribly interested in the shopping excursion. Surely, she had other things on her mind! But leave it to mom to know best. When they walked away from the shelf, I made sure to grab one for myself.
I’m going to hop in the shower right now to use it.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Schick®. The opinions and text are all mine.