Gillette ‘Toxic Masculinity’ Ad Relies on Men Being Bad to Sell Razors
The ad features a series of scenes in which physically masculine men bully women, their actions excused because “boys will be boys.” It’s “toxic masculinity,” as character in the ad describes it.
Then a group of ‘good’ men appear. These men do not have beards. They’re kind, helpful, and gentle with women and children, and better yet; they’ve shaved their beards with Gillette razors.
“We believe in the best in men, to say the right thing, to act in the right way,” says the voice narrator in the ad. “Some already are, in ways big and small. But some is not enough.”
Speaking of “toxic,” there’s nothing more toxic in this scenario than the assumption that physical male traits, such as facial hair, are in any way a predisposition to bad behavior and bullying women. But let’s face it: Gillette has some razors to sell. So why not hop onto the politicized anti-masculinity narrative while it lasts?
The ad features a series of scenes in which physically masculine men bully women, their actions excused because “boys will be boys.” It’s “toxic masculinity,” as character in the ad describes it.
Then a group of ‘good’ men appear. These men do not have beards. They’re kind, helpful, and gentle with women and children, and better yet; they’ve shaved their beards with Gillette razors.
“We believe in the best in men, to say the right thing, to act in the right way,” says the voice narrator in the ad. “Some already are, in ways big and small. But some is not enough.”
Speaking of “toxic,” there’s nothing more toxic in this scenario than the assumption that physical male traits, such as facial hair, are in any way a predisposition to bad behavior and bullying women. But let’s face it: Gillette has some razors to sell. So why not hop onto the politicized anti-masculinity narrative while it lasts?