I remember years ago black ladies (I guess white ones too) would carry a razor blade for protection. One of those double edge Gillette blades with tape on one side. Either in their bra or tucked into their stockings.
These were very proper and respectable ladies. Not criminals. My cousin (deputy sheriff) told me once about a call. A guy and his wife were fighting in the front yard. She’d sliced him up pretty good with that little razor blade. The guy was definitely getting the worst end of that fight. My cousin mentioned the deputies were always finding razor blades hidden on women. The guys usually had knives.
Is this still common for women? I can see the need if you live in a rough area.
I have never heard of anyone seriously carrying razor blades on them for protection. I mean, my friends and I randomly joke, “Girl, don’t make me throw down. I’ll take out my earrings and pull the razor blades out of my hair” but…we’re making an absurd joke.
I’ve never heard of it either. It’s something I’ve heard about in books (wasn’t there a character in Hannibal who did it–or was that needles?) but never in real life.
I’ve never heard of or witnessed people doing this. But I have always lived in majority-white suburbia. No ghettos and no primarily non-white areas. I mean there are quite a few latino and black families on my block currently, but the majority is still white. Maybe it’d be different in the south side of Chicago… or something.
I don’t carry anything specifically for protection since I don’t live in a rough area. If I were feeling threatened, I would grab my keys and scratch out my attacker’s eyes (holding each key between my fingers like brass knuckles). If I did need to carry something on a regular basis, I’d be likely to go for mace or a folding pocketknife. I wouldn’t want to run the risk of cutting myself accidentally with a razorblade hiding against my skin.
I recall reading a while back that it was supposedly common among female American soldiers in Iraq, along with staying in groups, because sexual assault by their male counterparts was so prevalent.
Intense. How would you keep them up there? And make sure you didn’t get your scalp damaged? Like, I’m thinking barrettes, pony tails, a lot of hairspray?
My understanding of keeping razor blades in your hair is that it isn’t so much for you to pull them out and attack someone with, but rather, if someone grabs your hair to yank you around, they are going to slice themselves up. I think the would be bobby pinned in, but who knows. Like I said, I’ve never heard of anyone actually doing this.
I have never seen such a thing among ‘respectable’ black ladies and I grew up in a poor Southern town with lots of them. White women sometimes carry small guns in their purse but no homemade weapons. That said, a few black women did carry things in weird places, especially their bras. It was a little entertaining when I was a cashier at the local supermarket and and see them reach into their ample brazier when it came time to pay and show a roll of bills. It didn’t happen all the time but often enough that it was noteworthy. I don’t know if that was just a convenience thing or for money protection.
Fiction: A razor blade attack was featured on the TV show St. Elsewhere. Mark Harmon’s character picked up a woman and she sliced up his face. I’ve never heard of any such thing outside of prison movies and overwrought TV.
Who would bother with this? A straight razor I might understand, but a disposable razor blade seems like a pretty terrible way to defend yourself. It requires close-up hand to hand combat, and is way too easy to lose your grip on.
Personally, I carry two types of pepper spray and a totally illegal 3.5 inch thumb knife. I take the el and buses late at night to get home from work. I figure I can’t be too careful, and what are the cops going to do to a 40 year old woman for carrying these things, anyway? I would have to use them to get caught. I only had to show my blade and spray to one person in the last 10 years, anyway.
I have never heard of this in real life, despite living in big cities like St. Louis, Detroit (back when it was still considered a big city), and Chicago. Currently live in Gary, Indiana, 85% black, and never heard of that around here, either. Of course, it’s pretty easy to get a gun around here, and that seems to be the preferred weapon of defense/offense.
Well, I can attest to the fact that one used to be able to buy “Ladies” switchblade knives; they were pretty, with colored handles and fancy buttons. IIRC, they were somewhat smaller than the more masculine switchblades. For sale at your local pawnshop.
My cousin mentioned the deputies were always finding razor blades hidden on women. The guys usually had knives.
