Final Rationale

Austerity: The use of Homemade Soap when Shaving

Austerity, glamour and routine were three moods elicited by sensory experiments. This was achieved by changing the feel, sound and look, respectively, of shaving, with austerity the most successful experiment. In this experiment the feel of the soap was altered by creating homemade soap instead of using factory made store bought soap in order to elicit feelings of austerity. Making soap in the home, amongst other every day goods, was common in periods of austerity and is presently making a re-emergence.

In the decade after the second world war demand for materials in their raw states was significantly higher than the demand for pre-made items. This was because severe rationing on food such as bread and potatoes, as well as other items like clothes, made them expensive and rare (Zweiniger-Bargielowska, 1994). While originally unpopular, the utility scheme responsible for rationing resources was soon seen as necessary for moving forward and became part of a new idealism. Austerity was viewed as modernist and was heavily influential on what was deemed ‘good design’ at the time (Jones, 2003).

Being austere is once again increasingly viewed as having a modern attitude. Especially as austerity and war became synonymous in Britain after the second world war (Adolph, 2008). To get their goods during this period and for the decade following, the british populace would have to wait in long lines for hours which a woman in the period called “a disgusting waste of time” (Mass Observation Archive, 1941). To combat this they would forge their own goods, such as soap, from raw materials. With wars and conflicts once again occurring in parts of the world, people are again seeking austere alternatives to their expensive counterparts. Markets where people sell their home made wares are more popular and getting larger as people seek faster ways to buy and sell products, especially products that are unique and one of a kind. 

Having made the soap in the experiment myself, I had a personal connection to it, it was unique. When shaving I found that I wanted to be less liberal with the soap than normal as I wanted it to last longer. The soap also felt bumpy and rough, in contrast with the factory soap which was uniform in texture. The remade soap was a square and thus was not ergonomic requiring a tight grasp when shaving, which was poetic considering the connection I felt with the soap. The remade soap didn't let off much soap either which which was also austere, as the soap would last longer. 

Overall I viewed the experiment as a success as using homemade soap when shaving elicited an austere mood. The soap was created frugally from items found in the home creating a personal connection to the soap which when used meant that I was less liberal with it than normal. This was because I wanted the soap to last longer as it was unique making it was scarce. I felt very old fashioned, yet very modern and independent having made and used my own soap and I felt connected with history.

Adolph, Andrea. Austerity, Consumption and Postwar Gender Disruption in Mollie Panter-Downes’s One Fine Day. Journal of Modern Literature. Vol. 31. No. 4 (Summer, 2008). pp. 18-35

Jones, Michelle. Design and the Domestic Persuader: Television and the British Broadcasting Corporations promotion of post-war ‘good design’. Journal of Design History. Vol. 16. No. 4 (2003). pp. 307-318

Mass Observation Archive. Topic collection 67 (food). 3/C (Rationing 1941). University of Sussex. Taken from Adolph, 2008. 

Zweiniger-Bargielowska, Ina. Rationing, Austerity and the Conservative Party Recovery after 1945.  The Historical Journal. Vol. 37. No. 1 (Mar., 1994). pp. 173-197