剃須歷史知多少

Although the exact timeline of shaving isn’t clear, most experts and found artifacts suggest that shaving has been around since approximately 100,000 BC, when cavemen would eliminate hair from their body by pulling them out one at a time, even using rocks or shells to speed the process. Fast-forward another 70,000 years and early man has recognized the value of sharpened flint, not only good for striking fire, but also for delicately slicing off hair from the body!

盡管人類開始刮胡子的確切時間尚不清楚，但大多數(shù)專家和已發(fā)現(xiàn)的手工藝品均表明，剃須的起源大約始于公元前100000年，那時的穴居人會一根根地將胡須全部拔掉，甚至使用像巖石或貝殼之類的東西來清理胡須。過了70000年，人們發(fā)現(xiàn)磨光的燧石不僅可以用來打火，還能夠精準地剃除毛發(fā)！

The real history of shaving, however, doesn’t begin until we reach the Egyptian civilization, where the act of shaving made its real debut on the world stage. Egyptians had a powerful belief that body hair was a sign of uncleanliness, so both men and women engaged in the complete removal of hair from the body—head to toe! In some cases, caustic ingredients like quicklime and arsenic were used in these primitive depilatory creams and shaving lotions. Early razors also appeared around the time, with the rise in metalworking and mining in many areas of the world. The Egyptian relationship to cleanliness and body hair bordered on the obsessive, and the upper classes often bathed multiple times per day. They would shave their heads completely bald, and then wear out cooling wigs in public.

刮胡子真正流行的時期是在古埃及文明時，此時也是剃須首次登上歷史舞臺。古埃及人深信體毛是不潔的標志，因此男人和女人都致力于從頭到腳徹底清除體毛，他們還在原始脫毛膏和剃須液中加入了諸如生石灰和砷之類的腐蝕性原料。再后來，隨著世界上許多地區(qū)的金屬加工和采礦業(yè)的興起，早期的剃刀也隨之出現(xiàn)。古埃及人對于身體的潔凈和脫毛達到了近乎癡迷的程度，上層階級經常一天洗好幾次澡。他們會把頭發(fā)剃光，然后在公共場合佩戴涼快的假發(fā)。

According to anthropologists, the fear of uncleanliness may have been the early reason for prehistoric man to shave. Body hair provides an ideal environment for lice and other unwanted critters, and can also be a breeding ground for fungal infections, particularly in hot or humid weather. Furthermore, having an excess of body hair led to the much faster development of body odor, another sign of uncleanliness within the rigid Egyptian society.

人類學家認為，古人類刮胡子的重要原因是覺得胡子太臟了。在炎熱或潮濕的天氣下，胡須為虱子和其他有害生物提供了理想的環(huán)境，也成為了真菌感染的溫床。除此之外，毛發(fā)還會散播更多的身體異味，這在嚴格的古埃及社會中也是不潔的標志。

As a result of these elevated opinions, shaving became somewhat associated with class and status. Having an unshaven face in Egypt meant that you could not afford to visit a barber every day, or perhaps that you didn’t care about your appearance or standing in society. To this day, there are still areas where having an unshaven face is associated with laziness or a lack of professionalism.

作為上層階級的選擇，剃須在某種程度上與階級和地位相關聯(lián)。如果一個男人不剃胡子，說明他負擔不起理發(fā)師的費用，或者根本不在乎自己的容貌或社會地位。時至今日，世界上仍有很多區(qū)域的人們認為，不剃須的男人與懶惰或缺乏專業(yè)素養(yǎng)有關。

This habit of shaving off one’s hair wasn’t immediately embraced by the rest of the world, but the Greeks and Romans were eventually won over in the 4th century BC. Not only was Alexander the Great a massive proponent of shaving—every single day—but also noted that less hair meant enemy combatants would have less to grab onto, making Roman warriors even hardier and more formidable.

古埃及的這種全身刮毛的習慣并沒有立即被世界其他地方接受，不過，到公元前4世紀，古希臘和古羅馬人也開始剃須。亞歷山大大帝不僅大力提倡每天剃須，還指出，胡須越短，敵人在戰(zhàn)斗中就越難以抓住胡子，這會讓古羅馬的戰(zhàn)士們越斗志昂揚、堅不可摧。

For the next thousand years, shaving spreads throughout Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Some cultures keep a clean but impressive beard, while shaving off all the other hair on their bodies, while other cultures object to removing body hair in other areas. In various countries at various times, there are waves of popularity behind shaving, sometimes in line with a cultural movement, or a particular fashion trend.

在之后的一千年里，剃須的習俗遍及歐洲、中東和亞洲。有的文化要求人們保留干凈美觀的胡須，同時剃掉其他毛發(fā)，但也有文化反對人們剔除身體其他部位的毛發(fā)。在不同國家、不同時期，剃須背后都有不同的流行，或者符合某種文化運動，或者追求某種特定的時尚潮流。