Gillette ad causes ire for addressing toxic masculinity

[terry78]

Gillette’s new ‘The Best Men Can Be’ ad has a message about toxic masculinity



You can just slowly see the buildup as it goes on, lol.

 

[CJ]

147,000 dislikes. Ouch.

 

[jmc]

I kinda get what they were trying to do, but the execution on this is woefully off base. Regardless of the intention, the fact that no-one in the marketing department saw the potential issue with casting a negative light onto the very customer based the company sells its products to is in all honesty one of the dumbest decisions I've ever seen from an advertising perspective.

 

[Mani-Man]

I personally love this Ad and feel it rings true more than many allow themself to admit.
But tackling such a topic is a hard thing because we are far away from a time where many Men can shake off what shaped them to have such a fragile ego where something like this is causing them to burn with anger and rage.

 

[super85]

LOL. F for the execution.

 

[Mandon Knight]

As I said in the Gender identity thread in the Politics Area, it's just so sad that men have to be 'told' that this is the way to act or show emotion, it's even sadder that the alternative behaviour exists in it's ultimate toxicity, and until we have all men recognising that such behaviour is not permitted, we have to keep the 'campaign' alive for values of gender respect, equality and love to all at our and it's heart and central drive of focus.

 

[Donner]

How do people have a problem with this? Are some of you so unbelievably insecure with your manhood that a company's advertisement about how men can be better by not bullying or harassing others is a bad thing? The ones setting a good example in the ad were men. Jesus. I'm disappointed.

 

[Donner]

I'm going to elaborate as well. Men are more likely to kill themselves than women. Gay and bisexual men have even higher rates. This ad is more than just telling guys to step in when their friend catcalls a woman. It's telling men that to be a man means more than being aggressive or possessive. Ads like these are hoping to redefine masculinity and perhaps that will help the suicide rates. Men will feel less "weak" by seeking professional help and maybe the bullying rates can be reduced as well (which would be especially nice for gay men).

The comments section for the ad are repulsive. The fact that guys felt the need to defend themselves with insults towards Gillette questioning its masculinity just proves the whole forking point of the ad.

 

[CJ]

How do people have a problem with this? Are some of you so unbelievably insecure with your manhood that a company's advertisement about how men can be better by not bullying or harassing others is a bad thing? The ones setting a good example in the ad were men. Jesus. I'm disappointed.

Because by saying that men can 'better themselves' by not bullying, and not harassing others, it ACCUSES all men as being guilty of those very things. Men are rapists. Men are bullies. Men are hateful. Men are bigoted. They need to be 'taught' how to act and behave.

The whole ad is a giant middle finger to the entire male sex.

 

[PacificBoy]

Not really. It showed men are contributors to our own bad behaviours and attitudes. It also showed good men standing up to those who would perpetuate them.

 

[CJ]

Not really. It showed men are contributors to our own bad behaviours and attitudes. It also showed good men standing up to those who would perpetuate them.

That's not what I got from the ad. I just saw two minutes of baseless accusations directed at the male gender and how I as a man am somehow supposed to feel guilty for the wrongs of others because I share the same genitalia.

Why is an ad like that even nessecary? EVERYONE has flaws. Why point all the blame to an entire gender?

Imagine if there was an ad that said how women could better themselves from negative behaviors and attitudes? Would that not generate a TON of backlash and be labeled as sexist? Why is this acceptable?

Why not celebrate strong men? Like those who serve our country overseas? Single fathers who are raising families? This whole ad just demonizes males as a whole. It is disgraceful.

 

[Sawyer]

Gillette, January 2019: "Toxic Masculinity is bad."

Gillette, February 2019: "Fragile Masculinity ain't that great either, folks."

 

[Sawyer]

It really is something, though, that this ad is really saying nothing more than "We can do better, Men" and it's caused the absolute worst men on the internet to set their d***s on fire in a sputtering rage.

 

[PacificBoy]

That's not what I got from the ad. I just saw two minutes of baseless accusations directed at the male gender and how I as a man am somehow supposed to feel guilty for the wrongs of others because I share the same genitalia.

Why is an ad like that even nessecary? EVERYONE has flaws. Why point all the blame to an entire gender?

Imagine if there was an ad that said how women could better themselves from negative behaviors and attitudes? Would that not generate a TON of backlash and be labeled as sexist? Why is this acceptable?

Why not celebrate strong men? Like those who serve our country overseas? Single fathers who are raising families? This whole ad just demonizes males as a whole. It is disgraceful.

It did celebrate strong men, the ones who take a stand against the harmful attitudes which hurt us and women. Obviously the ad is meant to be provoking in light of metoo and current affairs.

 

[Donner]

Because by saying that men can 'better themselves' by not bullying, and not harassing others, it ACCUSES all men as being guilty of those very things. Men are rapists. Men are bullies. Men are hateful. Men are bigoted. They need to be 'taught' how to act and behave.

The whole ad is a giant middle finger to the entire male sex.

I think you missed the point of the ad entirely.

 

[Donner]

That's not what I got from the ad. I just saw two minutes of baseless accusations directed at the male gender and how I as a man am somehow supposed to feel guilty for the wrongs of others because I share the same genitalia.

Why is an ad like that even nessecary? EVERYONE has flaws. Why point all the blame to an entire gender?

Imagine if there was an ad that said how women could better themselves from negative behaviors and attitudes? Would that not generate a TON of backlash and be labeled as sexist? Why is this acceptable?

Why not celebrate strong men? Like those who serve our country overseas? Single fathers who are raising families? This whole ad just demonizes males as a whole. It is disgraceful.

It absolutely would be acceptable if the attitudes of women contributed to a culture of sexual assault and harassment and reinforced a stereotype that women needed to be aggressive to be considered a woman.

And the ad did celebrate strong men. The men who would intervene when they see a kid being bullied or when their friends catcall a woman. It's frightening that your idea of a strong man is someone fighting overseas. Why does it always have to be about violence?

 

[super85]

There is nothing wrong with celebrating somebody fighting overseas, a man or a Woman.

This is a huge capitalist company trying to be Preachy while trying to make people buy more of their overpriced s*it.

 

[Dr.]

I thought the ad was quite good - and important.

Also, some folks are invoking a variation of “Lewis’s Law”: the reaction to this ad’s message justifies why the message is needed.

 

[Donner]

There is nothing wrong with celebrating somebody fighting overseas, a man or a Woman.

This is a huge capitalist company trying to be Preachy while trying to make people buy more of their overpriced s*it.

Or maybe they have a conscience? Are you also one of those people that thinks celebrities should stick to acting and not comment on politics?

 

[LightDaggers]

I wasn't even affected by it. In fact, I missed the big point to it.

Am I that dumb?

 

[CaptainWagner]

Great ad. Plus, it assures me that I never again need worry about using the same razor as Piers Morgan or James Woods. It's the little things in life.

 

[Donner]

Great ad. Plus, it assures me that I never again need worry about using the same razor as Piers Morgan or James Woods. It's the little things in life.

Ahahahaha I wish I could like this twice.

 

[super85]

Or maybe they have a conscience? Are you also one of those people that thinks celebrities should stick to acting and not comment on politics?

Or maybe they have a conscience? Are you also one of those people that thinks celebrities should stick to acting and not comment on politics?

Right. The company that keeps never giving a straight answer to stuff like animal testing suddently has a conscience.

In a democracy everyone has the right to have an opinion. Even privileged Hollywood actors. On a personal level, i have very little interest in the stuff they say about stuff like politics.

 

[Sithborg]

That's not what I got from the ad. I just saw two minutes of baseless accusations directed at the male gender and how I as a man am somehow supposed to feel guilty for the wrongs of others because I share the same genitalia.

Why is an ad like that even nessecary? EVERYONE has flaws. Why point all the blame to an entire gender?

Imagine if there was an ad that said how women could better themselves from negative behaviors and attitudes? Would that not generate a TON of backlash and be labeled as sexist? Why is this acceptable?

Why not celebrate strong men? Like those who serve our country overseas? Single fathers who are raising families? This whole ad just demonizes males as a whole. It is disgraceful.

You mean, like this?



And frankly, the bolded is an example of the problem. "Strong" man should be interpreted in so many different ways. And yet, your first go to example is the goddamn military. And it doesn't demonize the whole gender. It acknowledges changes are happening.

And yet, you look at the past year, yeah, it is something that should be addressed from the male perspective. This wasn't exactly a good way to do it, as there was a bit too much white knighting going on.

But god damn it, you look at the metoo movement, at Larry Nassar, Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, R. Kelly, and so many others, it kind of hard not to say "fork men". We kind of are rightly villainized. And bad place, look at what the personification of toxic masculinity is doing in the god damn white house.

 

[Immortalfire]

The ad is one big f you to the male species.