“Is This The Best A Man Can Get?” – New Gillette Ad Causes Twitter Storm
Gillette’s newest ad campaign isn’t about shaving, or beards or personal hygiene.
The company’s “We Believe” ad – a one minute and 48 second spot posted to its social media accounts this week – addresses serious issues like toxic masculinity, sexual harassment, mansplaining and the #MeToo movement.
Gillette plays on its famous tagline and asks: “Is this the best a man can get?”, sparking heated debate across social channels, with some threatening to boycott the razor company over its “offensive” and “patronising” message.
I get what @Gillette is trying to do here but demonizing all men and insisting were all sexual predators while implying women are always victims is insanely unhealthy & damaging to gender relations. It should have been shitty people will be shitty. Not boys will be boys 😕 https://t.co/lTgj7HGy4o
— Barnacules Nerdgasm ⭐💻📹🎙 (@Barnacules) January 15, 2019
If @Gillette made an ad depicting women in this way, you'd have written the exact opposite column – attacking it for spewing dangerously sexist, misogynist, claptrap. https://t.co/JE8woKpx1Q
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 15, 2019
I am so bored of men complaining that the Gillette advert is bad because it tells men they’re not good enough. Welcome to literally every advert ever targeted at women. At least you’re not good enough because of your actions. We’re just shit because of our skin/hair/weight/face.
— Rebecca Reid (@RebeccaCNReid) January 15, 2019
“We expected debate. Actually a discussion is necessary. If we don’t discuss and don’t talk about it, I don’t think real change will happen,” Pankaj Bhalla, Gillette’s North America brand director, told CNN Business.
Check out the ad here: