Gillette Isn’t After Your Manhood

For more than 100 years, Gillette has been a household name in the United States. The male-oriented razor company’s products can be found in homes across the country, and their tagline “A Best a Man Can Get” reflects the quality of their blades; the last century has seen the company become synonymous not only with male grooming and hygiene, but men in general as well.

The company struck a chord with a piece of its customer base with their last commercial,  though, as outraged customers took to social media to voice their displeasure over the message the ad contained. Dozens of men posted photos of themselves disposing of their Gillette products in the trash, and even in their toilets. That was because this particular advertisement was more than just a bid to sell razors; it was a commentary on masculinity itself and what it means to be a man in the modern world.

The ad, just short of two minutes long and titled “We Believe: The Best a Man Can Be”, opens with a montage of past Gillette commercials projected on a screen. As the final commercial ends with the company’s tagline, the screen is ripped apart as a boy bursts from it, running for his life from a crowd of larger boys behind him.

The ad continues in a montage of scenes of bullying, objectification of women in popular culture, and the “boys will be boys” argument being used by an infinite line of middle-aged dads on barbecue duty as two boys fight it out on the lawn. Another scene shows a man interrupting a woman during a business meeting, putting his hand on her shoulder and commenting “What I think she’s trying to say…” while a voice over asks the question: “What is happening here?”

Terry Crews also makes an appearance in the form of a video clip from a speech of his where he makes the comment that “men have to hold other men responsible.” The speech pertained to his life growing up with a violent, alcoholic father. Crews recounted in the video the clip his taken from that his mother would often tell him that they were leaving, only to change her mind out of fear. Crews goes on to say that growing up, he noticed he had an anger like his father, and it became something he was determined not to fall prey to.

Later, the ad picks back up on the barbecue scene, with one of the fathers breaking ranks and pulling the boys apart, telling them “that it isn’t okay to hit each other.” As the ad inches towards it end, the scenes change in nature, including a man halting a camera crew seemingly soliciting women to disrobe at a pool, a man stopping a group of older boys from assaulting a younger boy as his son watches on, and a man keeping his friend from catcalling a woman on the street, telling him that his behavior is “not cool.”

Despite public opinion, the ad is not about attacking traditional masculinity. Being, for lack of a better word, your basic dude, has never been an idea that has been under attack. Gillette is not asking you to lose your masculine traits; they’re not asking every man to become a “sissy.” They’re simply asking men around the country to take a look in the mirror and ask themselves: “Am I setting a good example? Are the men I associate with doing the same?”

The reality is that if one watched the ad, they would see that Gillette merely posits that a real man is one who uses his words before his fists, and treats those he meets– men and women– with mutual respect. Both of these ideas are cornerstones of common decency, and yet dozens of men have been offended by it. This begs the question: why has the simple idea of giving respect to another person become such a ghastly idea?

Gillette is advocating what should always be a priority of the modern man: simple respect. As men, we need to hold each other responsible for our behavior. This does not make one less of a man– to quote the now famous advertisement, it makes one “The best a man can be.”