For 30 years Gillette's tagline has been, "Gillette - the best a man can get!" In the razor giant's latest commercial, however, they've altered said tagline to, "the best men can be." It attempts to tackle the issue of toxic masculinity, as in the first half of the ad it portrays men fighting, bullying, and harassing others, before in the second half showcasing men who intervene on fights, help to prevent bullying, and stand up for women. Throughout the ad's duration, the narrator utters these words:
"Is this the best a man can get? Is it? You can't hide from it. It's been going on for far too long. We can't laugh it off. Making the same old excuses. Boys will be boys. But something finally changed. And there will be no going back. Because we, we believe in the best in men. To say the right thing. To act the right way. Some already are. In ways big and small. But some is not enough. Because the boys watching today will be the men of tomorrow."
I'd first like to give kudos to Gillette for attempting to bring awareness to toxic masculinity, especially in the #MeToo era. Not all guys feel the same way, however, as at last check, the YouTube video of the ad has generated 438k likes and 852k dislikes. Some of the comments read as follows:
- "The ad is attributing toxicity to masculinity, like there’s an innate bad part of masculinity. Sexual assault isn’t a product of someone being masculine, it’s a product of bad parenting and bad choices. Men don’t need to get better, the people who are doing these things need to get better. Plenty of cases of female teachers having relationships with their students in school. Nobody attributes that to femininity. Wonder why... oh yeah. Cause that’s an absurd statement to make."
- "No Gillette for me anymore,"
- "Never ever buying Gillette"
- "You pathetic fake social justice warriors advocating the me too movement and telling men its not ok to appraoch women, while behind the mask you are really just a big evil corporation. I used to buy gilette products sometimes and now I never will again."
- "Left propaganda ,shows men at women's ideal best"
- "I'll never use gillette again. F... You gillette"
- "NEVER will I get any Gilette product ever again. I promise that."
- "I don't buy Gillette ever again"
- "Ah Gillette, thank you SO MUCH for reassuring me that males are all rapist. Wow I’m so WOKE"
- "Well Gillette, if trying to impress your customer base with this leftist self loathing of masculinity routine, you've just cut your own throat with a straight razor."
- "Just threw out my Gillette razor"
- "THIS VIDEO IS THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ME!! WHO KNEW THAT ALL MEN SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CRIMES OF A FEW?!! WOW THANK YOU GILLETTE!!!! :D :D :D"
- "'I don't see anything wrong with this video.' is the same or equal to saying 'I think very low of men in general.'"
- "Boys Will Be Boys: Active, Courageous, Bold, Confident, Enterprising, Risk-Taking, Charismatic. If Gillette really wanted to 'redefine masculinity' and set an example for the future, then this is the kind of positive, aspirational message they should have conveyed.
Like so many of us, I'm done with Gillette."
- "Awwww, look at Gillette attempting to brainwash men into a bunch of PC snowflakes... How cute... What an epic fail! Lololol there is nothing that makes me happier than seeing greedy corporate capitalist America flop right on its face!!! I can feel their profits plummeting as we speak."
- "Never buying anything Gillette again. I am proud to be a white South African man"
- "For all those saying they are only talking about Toxic Masculinity will they then concede that there is also a toxic feminism....Try doing an ad on Sanitary Napkins on toxic Feminism...You'll be legislated out of business by the end of the week."
- "Time to throw out my ravor."
- "That feeling when you automatically get half of your spouse's money and property for cheating on and divorcing him, you're automatically believed by society when you accuse someone of rape (even if false), & you're provided with welfare benefits for being a single mother without a job, but MEN NEED TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE."
- "“Because the boys watching this video today won’t be the men of tomorrow... they’ll be the soyboy snowflakes you’ll be too embarrassed to call your son!”"
While it's not at all surprising, it is disappointing so many wannabe "macho men" completely missed the point of this ad. Where in the ad did it suggest all men are "rapists" as one commentator claimed? When did it unequivocally state that masculinity is always a bad thing? At point did it make the claim, "Men are bad, mmkay?" Simple - it didn't. It simply called on men to progress as individuals, to evolve with the times. The men who are offended by this ad are only upset because they're insecure, sexist, and mistake privilege as equality.
This has been a very patriarchal country since its inception. The straight Christian white man (SCWM) has long been at the top of the totem poll. When a separate demographic starts fighting for equality, many SCWMs lay the groundless claim that their rights are eroding while others' rights have reached the point of privilege-status. The fact of the matter is they like how life has been, how the country's structure and laws have treated them, and don't want changes implemented which would disrupt that sense of superiority. Ironically enough, these same individuals will parade around the notion that the United States is the freest country in the world. Sure, they may feel free, but what is freedom if it isn't applied to and felt by all? When a gay couple fights for and attains equal marriage rights, I'll hear some straight couples say, "That ruins the sanctity of our marriage. They're wanting and getting even more rights than we have - privilege." Um, no... It's not like the gay couple mandated the government provide them a Mercedes when they're wed. That would be privilege. They're simply asking to have the legal right to marry, just like straight couples. Psst, that's called equality.
There was a time when women couldn't vote. There was a time when women were expected to stay at home, cook, clean, and take care of the kids. There was a time women felt like they weren't heard or taken seriously when they accused men of sexual improprieties. While women and our country's treatment have progressed over the generations, we still have a long way to go, and it's high past time we embrace such challenges, as opposed to evading them. This ad isn't calling all men bullies or rapists; it's calling on men to search deep inside themselves and try to be the best people they can be. Since when is calling on people to be better controversial? We all possess flaws. We all make mistakes. Nobody's perfect. If someone is so insecure they can't face these facts, they're the biggest snowflakes of all, "bigly." So, Gillette? Well done with the ad. Critics? Suck it up, buttercups!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koPmuEyP3a0
"Is this the best a man can get? Is it? You can't hide from it. It's been going on for far too long. We can't laugh it off. Making the same old excuses. Boys will be boys. But something finally changed. And there will be no going back. Because we, we believe in the best in men. To say the right thing. To act the right way. Some already are. In ways big and small. But some is not enough. Because the boys watching today will be the men of tomorrow."
I'd first like to give kudos to Gillette for attempting to bring awareness to toxic masculinity, especially in the #MeToo era. Not all guys feel the same way, however, as at last check, the YouTube video of the ad has generated 438k likes and 852k dislikes. Some of the comments read as follows:
- "The ad is attributing toxicity to masculinity, like there’s an innate bad part of masculinity. Sexual assault isn’t a product of someone being masculine, it’s a product of bad parenting and bad choices. Men don’t need to get better, the people who are doing these things need to get better. Plenty of cases of female teachers having relationships with their students in school. Nobody attributes that to femininity. Wonder why... oh yeah. Cause that’s an absurd statement to make."
- "No Gillette for me anymore,"
- "Never ever buying Gillette"
- "You pathetic fake social justice warriors advocating the me too movement and telling men its not ok to appraoch women, while behind the mask you are really just a big evil corporation. I used to buy gilette products sometimes and now I never will again."
- "Left propaganda ,shows men at women's ideal best"
- "I'll never use gillette again. F... You gillette"
- "NEVER will I get any Gilette product ever again. I promise that."
- "I don't buy Gillette ever again"
- "Ah Gillette, thank you SO MUCH for reassuring me that males are all rapist. Wow I’m so WOKE"
- "Well Gillette, if trying to impress your customer base with this leftist self loathing of masculinity routine, you've just cut your own throat with a straight razor."
- "Just threw out my Gillette razor"
- "THIS VIDEO IS THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ME!! WHO KNEW THAT ALL MEN SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CRIMES OF A FEW?!! WOW THANK YOU GILLETTE!!!! :D :D :D"
- "'I don't see anything wrong with this video.' is the same or equal to saying 'I think very low of men in general.'"
- "Boys Will Be Boys: Active, Courageous, Bold, Confident, Enterprising, Risk-Taking, Charismatic. If Gillette really wanted to 'redefine masculinity' and set an example for the future, then this is the kind of positive, aspirational message they should have conveyed.
Like so many of us, I'm done with Gillette."
- "Awwww, look at Gillette attempting to brainwash men into a bunch of PC snowflakes... How cute... What an epic fail! Lololol there is nothing that makes me happier than seeing greedy corporate capitalist America flop right on its face!!! I can feel their profits plummeting as we speak."
- "Never buying anything Gillette again. I am proud to be a white South African man"
- "For all those saying they are only talking about Toxic Masculinity will they then concede that there is also a toxic feminism....Try doing an ad on Sanitary Napkins on toxic Feminism...You'll be legislated out of business by the end of the week."
- "Time to throw out my ravor."
- "That feeling when you automatically get half of your spouse's money and property for cheating on and divorcing him, you're automatically believed by society when you accuse someone of rape (even if false), & you're provided with welfare benefits for being a single mother without a job, but MEN NEED TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE."
- "“Because the boys watching this video today won’t be the men of tomorrow... they’ll be the soyboy snowflakes you’ll be too embarrassed to call your son!”"
While it's not at all surprising, it is disappointing so many wannabe "macho men" completely missed the point of this ad. Where in the ad did it suggest all men are "rapists" as one commentator claimed? When did it unequivocally state that masculinity is always a bad thing? At point did it make the claim, "Men are bad, mmkay?" Simple - it didn't. It simply called on men to progress as individuals, to evolve with the times. The men who are offended by this ad are only upset because they're insecure, sexist, and mistake privilege as equality.
This has been a very patriarchal country since its inception. The straight Christian white man (SCWM) has long been at the top of the totem poll. When a separate demographic starts fighting for equality, many SCWMs lay the groundless claim that their rights are eroding while others' rights have reached the point of privilege-status. The fact of the matter is they like how life has been, how the country's structure and laws have treated them, and don't want changes implemented which would disrupt that sense of superiority. Ironically enough, these same individuals will parade around the notion that the United States is the freest country in the world. Sure, they may feel free, but what is freedom if it isn't applied to and felt by all? When a gay couple fights for and attains equal marriage rights, I'll hear some straight couples say, "That ruins the sanctity of our marriage. They're wanting and getting even more rights than we have - privilege." Um, no... It's not like the gay couple mandated the government provide them a Mercedes when they're wed. That would be privilege. They're simply asking to have the legal right to marry, just like straight couples. Psst, that's called equality.
There was a time when women couldn't vote. There was a time when women were expected to stay at home, cook, clean, and take care of the kids. There was a time women felt like they weren't heard or taken seriously when they accused men of sexual improprieties. While women and our country's treatment have progressed over the generations, we still have a long way to go, and it's high past time we embrace such challenges, as opposed to evading them. This ad isn't calling all men bullies or rapists; it's calling on men to search deep inside themselves and try to be the best people they can be. Since when is calling on people to be better controversial? We all possess flaws. We all make mistakes. Nobody's perfect. If someone is so insecure they can't face these facts, they're the biggest snowflakes of all, "bigly." So, Gillette? Well done with the ad. Critics? Suck it up, buttercups!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koPmuEyP3a0
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