The Australian
Gillette condemns masculinity to death by a thousand cutsBETTINA ARNDTFollow @thebettinaarndt
Scene from a new Gillette ad that deals with issues of "toxic masculinity". Picture: YouTube
- 8:50PM JANUARY 16, 2019
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Twenty years ago, Gillette’s 1989 shaver ad was a celebration of masculinity, fathers hugging their children, men as corporate stars, champion athletes, devoted husbands, fun-loving friends. “We know how to make the best of who you are,” boasted the proud commentary over waves of heroic music.
The latest dark, accusatory Gillette advertisement launched this week speaks to the great achievement of third-wave feminism in trashing the male brand. There’s scene after scene said to illustrate “toxic masculinity” — men treating women with disdain, nasty aggressive boys, brutish men.
The virtue-signalling campaign from Gillette praises only the few men it claims are willing to teach most men to behave. It captures the Zeitgeist in the most shocking fashion.
Here’s a huge corporation that helps men deal with one of their most obvious secondary sexual characteristics — their facial hair.
The Gillette executives earn their living feeding off what it means to be male. And now they decide to attack their customer base, to announce to the world that everything about masculinity is bad, dangerous and deficient.
It’s the most extraordinary moment — like the reverberations from the Harvey Weinstein case that inspired MeToo and the dangerous witch-hunt that followed.
The Gillette ad may just represent a similar tipping point, a defining event that motivates the silent majority to speak out against the constant demonisation of men.
On Wednesday, social media was alive not just with indignant men sneering at Gillette and promising to boycott its products but also with women, including mothers of sons offended by the notion that two boys rough-housing was toxic, arguing that the male-bashing just has to stop.
Negative comments poured in (even as Gillette tried to delete them), with YouTube dislikes outnumbering likes of the ad by 10 to one.
The feminist commentators were out in force, dismissing complaints as venom from angry men and praising the ad for calling it as it is. Jane Caro celebrated Gillette’s bravery in taking on toxic masculinity. Clementine Ford deliberately fudged the message, claiming the ad suggested only some men were sexist, violent and rowdy. It helped even out the numbers a little, although YouTube’s responses were still running three to one against the ad.
The real test will come later, when we see whether the company prospers from its bizarre decision to use feminist dogma to denounce its own valued consumers
