Nobody Really Likes an Angry, Angry Man

Hi, this is super late...

---

The past few weeks in the news have been odd. With Theresa May’s Brexit deal falling through and her government barely supporting her, the world just seems weird at the moment. But if you hadn’t seen a big advert being a headlining article in many newspapers, you’ve probably missed something. Let’s talk about the new Gillette advert.

Gillette, a men’s razor company, recently premiered its new advert, a short film named ‘Believe’. The film replaces Gillette’s signature “The best a man can get” with “The best men can be”. Gillette had said that it wanted to “hold men accountable”, which is exactly what it does with this short film.

The advert shows images of sexual harassment, bullying, misogyny and aggressive behaviour by men, before revisiting these same scenarios, but including another male lead who steps in in these certain situations to prevent these behaviours. In the times of MeToo and HeForShe, the film shows men exactly why these movements have been so important as of late. By giving examples of inappropriate behaviour and counting it as inappropriate behaviour, it begins to hold men accountable for their actions. The behaviour we’ve seen time and time again as branded ‘boys will be boys’ finally gets the boot that says ‘no, this is wrong, and no one should allow this to happen’. By suggesting other men should prevent this behaviour if they see it, it creates reinforcement that the behaviour shown is inappropriate. Behaviour women have been telling the world for years is inappropriate needed a man to reinforce this message. People are listening, but they’re not fans.

The endless comments on the YouTube video show men claiming it to be “feminist propaganda” and suggesting that stepping in to prevent sexual harassment is stating that Gillette no longer want the business of “manly men”. If you think being manly includes being a bully and a sexual harasser, your issues go far beyond any advert. Gillette probably doesn’t want your business if you think that way.

The short film did gain some positive feedback from very few men, but those who supported the advert commented on its powerful message. “By eliminating excuses for bad behaviour, and supporting a new generation working toward their personal ‘best’, we can help create a positive change that will matter for years to come” says Gillette’s president, Gary Coombe. Gillette has partnered with the Building a Better Man project for this short film (which aims to reduce violent behaviour in men) to help induce a drop in male violent behaviour and suggest more positive behaviours for men of the future.

Gillette knew that its advertising would cause backlash. But even I’m shocked it caused as much backlash as it did. Admittedly, it’s by men who are trying to justify the behaviours shown in the advert as appropriate, but which could be seen to be eerily similar to their own behaviours. But the fact is, this conversation needed to happen – it did. In my opinion, there’s no arguing that the behaviours seen in the short film are in any way healthy. The fact that there are so many who can’t see that these scenarios are problems is indicative of the change that is surely needed.

I’m not telling you that you need to wholeheartedly support this advert and give it all the press in the world (that would be ideal, but some people will always seek to find a problem). I am however telling you that if you don’t identify the behaviours seen in the advert as inappropriate or wrong, you are a part of this problem. This short film was designed specifically to call out these scenarios and show, without an ounce of sugar coating that these behaviours are unacceptable. You don’t have to buy Gillette for the rest of your life or post this advert to every social media platform. You just have to understand why these behaviours are wrong and see that the advert is doing the right thing – it’s discussing it. The world has a problem with discussing toxic behaviours in both women, but especially men. Gillette is holding people accountable. We all need to do this.

The advert had been watched over 2 million times on YouTube in 48 hours. Backlash and support aside, take what you will from this advert but understand Gillette’s point is valid. It may be hard to swallow for some people, but the message needs to be heard. 2019 is holding everyone accountable for their actions, and I’m glad for it. Nobody really likes an angry man.

---

Addition:

It was announced this week that P&G (the owners of Gillette) and UN Women are working in partnership for the future of today’s young people. The Press Release announced Procter & Gamble’s commitment to gender equality across the India subcontinent, Middle East and Africa at the WeSeeEqual Summit. P&G announced that over the next three years, they would:

• Spend USD 100 million on deliberately working with Women-Owned Business in India, Middle East and Africa

• Educate over 23 million young girls on puberty and hygiene across India, Middle East and Africa

• P&G and its brands will use the hashtag WeSeeEqual Summit, branding like Ariel, Whisper, Always and Gillette in efforts to discuss gender equality and evoke change.

The Gillette advert was obviously a partner of P&G’s attempt to spark discussion on topics surrounding gender equality. I’m more than glad that Procter & Gamble have decided to be a part of this conversation – they have been for a while if we’re being honest with ourselves. Their ‘Like A Girl’ advert through their brand Always made headlines in 2014 for its similar topic – changing the view of young women. The advert showed how young women were twice as confident as their older counterparts when discussing their capabilities. When asking an eight-year-old how a girl runs, she proceeded to run as fast as she could on the spot, but when they asked a twenty-something to do the same, the woman immediately flailed her arms and legs. The advert sparked conversation on how a woman’s negative portrayal of herself is built as she grows, as opposed to how we are born.

P&G has been a big influencer for years, but this Gillette advert has sparked so much controversy that it’s making me revisit P&G’s past adverts. It’s made me realise that the company has done so much more regarding equality than I ever truly knew. I was fully aware of Always’ donation of period products to be given to young girls and women in less economically-developed countries and I highly supported the cause. But I’m glad the Gillette advert sparked so much controversy. Because it meant people were talking about the advert.

Good. It’s what we all need, it seems.