Gillette has always had very male-dominant advertising, including their tagline “The best a man can get.” Knowing that they well represent masculinity to a large number of consumers, they wanted people to know what their brand and their idea of “masculinity” was.
The term “Toxic Masculinity” has become more prominent over the course of the last year. It refers to certain aspects of masculinity that can be mentally and physically harmful to both women AND men. Phrases like “he hits like a girl” or calling someone… well… a slang word for female anatomy… both are micro-aggressive against women, because both phrases subtly place men as superior to women. Telling men that if they like putting on makeup or want to take ballet class instead of basketball makes them “queer,” a micro-aggression against LGBTQ individuals. The idea of catcalling a woman, or talking with buddies about what exactly and explicitly you’d like to do to a woman because you perceive them as “hot” which promotes the concept that a woman is inherently only worth how physically attractive she is. All of these examples fall into the same category of examples if you watched your buddy drug and rape a girl, or self-named incels who believe they DESERVE to sleep with a woman, that it is their inherent right…these are all examples of “toxic masculinity” or what it “means” to be masculine.
Gillette posted an ad challenging this concept and people are throwing their razors away over it.
Let me be clear on my stance here, because I am so confused… seriously? You’re boycotting Gillette for trying to hold men to a higher standard? You think we should live in the Mad Men days when it was perfectly acceptable to slap your secretaries behind in the work place? If you’re angry over this ad, you need to take a long, hard look at yourself and your life, because Gillette is trying to help redefine what it means to be a GOOD man. If you want to be a crummy man, fine, that’s your prerogative, but then own up to it!
Anyway, check out this ad, and you’re more than welcome to @ me… I won’t back down. @RadioKristin on Twitter and @KristinontheRadio on Insta
