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New Gillette ad targets "toxic masculinity"


MadFan

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The absolute hostility to this advert from extreme right wing commentators  - both male and female - has been astounding. The advert is clearly calling out domestic violence, blatant sexism and is showing other men standing up and rejecting that behaviour. Yet some are seeing it as an attack on men not being encouraged to be violent, sexist creeps.  I see where putrid Piers Morgan is upset about it so that speaks volumes in itself. 

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If your reading this and you feel you're being personally attacked by this ad, it's probably because you're guilty of the shitty things this ad is fighting against. 

Do you think physical violence is just a "boy thing", and no big deal? Do you think talking over a female co-worker is professional? Cat calling attractive? Sexually harassing someone fun? If the answer is no, congratulations, the ad wasn't about you. Give yourself a pat on the back. Think any of the above is cool? Then, sad to say, you're mad for getting called out. Stop perpetuating ****ty male stereotypes rooted from 1940s BS that paints masculinity in three shades of grey.

To put this another way, if Gillette was to put out an ad that started with, "Are you a North Korean spy doing everything in your power to demolish the United States of America?", would you immediately think, "Hey...why are they attacking me?"

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First thought that crossed my mind while watching this: they’re extremely brave. Because the negative reactions from many of their target sales group!! was expected, sadly. So even more reason to applaud them. 

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4 minutes ago, Lolo said:

First thought that crossed my mind while watching this: they’re extremely brave. Because the negative reactions from many of their target sales group!! was expected, sadly. So even more reason to applaud them. 

I'm sure they've done their market research, and know that its usually women who buy the razors for their husbands or sons. They've done focus groups and tests. They knew it would be 'controversial', which gets them A LOT of exposure without buying the ad time.

But having said that, I think its a completely valid ad. For a brand that has traded on "The best a man can get", its entirely appropriate to explore this theme. Some people are saying it implies all men need to do better, not just the small percentage who treat women badly. But this misses the point - it is indeed every single man who can and should do better, because we can all do more to call out bad behaviour in others, which too often we walk past as if its someone elses problem.

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1 hour ago, BrendanT1993 said:

If your reading this and you feel you're being personally attacked by this ad, it's probably because you're guilty of the shitty things this ad is fighting against. 

Do you think physical violence is just a "boy thing", and no big deal? Do you think talking over a female co-worker is professional? Cat calling attractive? Sexually harassing someone fun? If the answer is no, congratulations, the ad wasn't about you. Give yourself a pat on the back. Think any of the above is cool? Then, sad to say, you're mad for getting called out. Stop perpetuating ****ty male stereotypes rooted from 1940s BS that paints masculinity in three shades of grey.

To put this another way, if Gillette was to put out an ad that started with, "Are you a North Korean spy doing everything in your power to demolish the United States of America?", would you immediately think, "Hey...why are they attacking me?"

This.

If you are a man and you are offended by this ad, it is clearly addressed to you.

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Guest CzarnaWisnia

I dislike this ad very much. It's condescending to the max. That must mean I'm a right-wing bullying nut job, apparently. Next week, Gillette is doing a lesson for dogs not to pee indoors.

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To be honest, the more they bark and attack, the more they show they're threatened. That women are conquering all spheres and there is no turning back is EVIDENT and whenever these hordes of troglodites critisise all this is in fact a victory. 

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1 hour ago, karbatal said:

To be honest, the more they bark and attack, the more they show they're threatened. That women are conquering all spheres and there is no turning back is EVIDENT and whenever these hordes of troglodites critisise all this is in fact a victory. 

However all the work could be UNDONE in mere months if evil fuckers are empowered.

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8 minutes ago, elijah said:

However all the work could be UNDONE in mere months if evil fuckers are empowered.

I'm not sure about it.

I am sure about something, though: if the EU had considered women rights and gay rights and minority rights as part of the EU law, with all the protection for gay marriage, domestic violence and such protected by law. So all far.right or absurd parties coming to power wouldn't be talking about this or have the power to change laws. I say this because you can't imagine the new debate being opened nowadays by far right extremists about feminism and gays :zombie:

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16 minutes ago, karbatal said:

I'm not sure about it.

I am sure about something, though: if the EU had considered women rights and gay rights and minority rights as part of the EU law, with all the protection for gay marriage, domestic violence and such protected by law. So all far.right or absurd parties coming to power wouldn't be talking about this or have the power to change laws. I say this because you can't imagine the new debate being opened nowadays by far right extremists about feminism and gays :zombie:

But that would be great for them also, because they will blame EU for all "evils", "moral degradation" etc. while poisoning the public opinion and taking money from Putin so that they bring the EU down... EU seems like isn't doing the best job at exposing the evil fuckers at local level.

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Guest eroticerotic

Something about the ad feels Gaga ish; , reductive, contrived. Won’t b surprised if no one can see thru it. 🤷🏻‍♂️

The fallacy fallacy from all the psych majors being used to argue with any naysayer is cringe lol

Gillette will flip flop when people find a new way to feel like a hero; its about the money.

 

i believe they were identified as using child labor recently too. They also charge more for women razors lol.

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5 hours ago, CzarnaWisnia said:

I dislike this ad very much. It's condescending to the max. That must mean I'm a right-wing bullying nut job, apparently. Next week, Gillette is doing a lesson for dogs not to pee indoors.

+1

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6 hours ago, Paul said:

Some people are saying it implies all men need to do better, not just the small percentage who treat women badly. But this misses the point - it is indeed every single man who can and should do better, because we can all do more to call out bad behaviour in others, which too often we walk past as if its someone elses problem.

Fragile Masculinity leads them to believe that.

Because instead of reflecting on the message and that maybe its true that they support in reality such behaviours, its always the others who are at fault because fragile masculinity cant handle criticism.

Like i said, those who feel that this is the message, who feel this ad makes "all men" look bad etc are the ones who support or dont understand why this Ad criticises...simple as that.

Yes, this goes for all humanity.
Whatever we reached, we can reach higher, we can do more, we can do better.

Everybody who thinks that we have come far enough or that we did enough...is wrong.

We can do ten times more

The simple fact is that we as Men need to do more, we have held back the world long enough because of the Toxic Masculinity that has been burned into the world and society.

We can be better...that is simply true.

Doesn't mean we aren't already good, it doesn't mean we need to apologize or feel guilty or something.

But we can be more than we are right now.

More than a society where we feel attacked by a Gillette Ad that calls out behaviour that is not okay.

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I def. can see both sides of this. Def. a divisive commercial. I personally think its great but didn't need to see it because I already carried myself like that. I fully agree w/ its message yet also see how others can see it as preachy, cheesy (like an 80s PSA) and then there's the far right narcissistic douche bag types who worship Trump that 'this' only pisses off. Only fires them up more against anything PC. Feeds right into the Fox News pit (kind of commercial their prime time dolts would spend a whole week harping on vs the shutdown and REAL news). They'll obsess on that fact they're being told to act like 'pussies' vs how 'real' men should act lol. While the intention was good, if you're a sh*tbag guy to the core (esp. middle aged-older guys), how is this gonna change or influence you. Overall point is if you're decent and treat women and everyone w/ respect to begin with you DON'T need a commercial like this. If you're a stone cold pr*ck, you esp. don't want to see commercial like this! lol 

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I can understand how men can find this somewhat patronising and contrived,  when they themselves are fine decent men that never act like this and always treat women with respect.   However, the extreme right wing,  truly sexist hideous men ( such as Piers Morgan etc )  who are openly ranting about this and saying "  Let men be men"  etc are showing themselves up.   They hate men being called out for hideous behaviour and think that behaviour is acceptable when you read what they say. 

There is a huge difference in men not liking the advert because they feel it is unfairly targeting them to people they despise and are not like  -   to men ( and women )  who instead celebrate sexist "boys will be boys"  behaviour and don't see anything wrong with it. 

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the rise of extreme right around the world is mostly due to 30-40s white male, feeling threatened. I don't think this ad will help. In fact, seeing their reactions I think it's the opposite. 

I'm always suspicious when marketing mixes with social issues. I can see the idea behind it, it might be great but personally I'm not so sure about it. 

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1 hour ago, VogueMusic said:

If men are that bothered by an ad such as this, they've got bigger problems.

Fuck 'em.

Yup! 

It's hilarious to me that the ones offended by this are the ones that complain about everyone being offended about everything. No wonder they hate "snowflakes".....they hit a little TOO close to home. :lol:

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It’s an ad for the broad mainstream who tend to not question their behavior or even think about it much. Of course it’s a bit condescending and on the nose to those who are already aware about these issues. That’s always the case with messages like that and most likely a reason why ever so often they fail, because the ones who - under different circumstances - would support the case, try to bring it down because they’re unhappy with the presentation... :manson:

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21 minutes ago, Kurt420 said:

Yup! 

It's hilarious to me that the ones offended by this are the ones that complain about everyone being offended about everything. No wonder they hate "snowflakes".....they hit a little TOO close to home. :lol:

Yes,  the typical "Murdoch"  columnists in Australia and on Sky News "right at night"  are all ranting and getting offended over this advert - male and female.  The exact same people who are forever calling everyone snowflakes and the offended generation when other people spoke out for example against Margaret Court's homophobic dreadful comments or people wanting to recognise Aboriginal welfare issues.   There is also a movement in Australia where several writers and personalities  - all hateful ultra right wing people - hate people such as Rosie Batty - a woman who suffered domestic violence and her ex husband killed their son at a cricket match.  She become the face of raising awareness of family violence and violence against women and spoke about it everywhere.  They are forever calling her dreadful names and blaming "feminazis"  for their own domestic abuse and feeling sorry for the men.  When all of the men I know, love and respect are horrified about what happened to Rosie and hate men abusing women.  The over whelming majority of men support women and hate violence - but there is a small percentage who are very vocal who blame women for it all.  They are the ones this advert is talking about and probably why they are so extreme in their hatred for the advert.  As said before,  Piers Morgan is ranting about it so says it all.  He is using the phrase too "  Let Boys be boys"   "  Let men be men"    He is Not saying that he is upset because he is not like that, rather going on about letting men be men. 

12 minutes ago, Lolo said:

It’s an ad for the broad mainstream who tend to not question their behavior or even think about it much. Of course it’s a bit condescending and on the nose to those who are already aware about these issues. That’s always the case with messages like that and most likely a reason why ever so often they fail, because the ones who - under different circumstances - would support the case, try to bring it down because they’re unhappy with the presentation... :manson:

 

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17 hours ago, Jazzy Jan said:

Yes,  the typical "Murdoch"  columnists in Australia and on Sky News "right at night"  are all ranting and getting offended over this advert - male and female.  They are the ones this advert is talking about and probably why they are so extreme in their hatred for the advert.  As said before,  Piers Morgan is ranting about it so says it all.  He is using the phrase too "  Let Boys be boys"   "  Let men be men"    He is Not saying that he is upset because he is not like that, rather going on about letting men be men. 

 

Just to clarify, adjectives qualify nouns, therefore "toxic masculinity" is different from "masculinity" the way "spoiled milk" is different from "milk." 

But if you really look at the ad, it's really saying most men are great guys and asks them to step forward and condemn bad behavior by other men. Maybe some men are offended they are expected to do anything at all? "Bulliers gonna bully, harassers gonna harass. How is this my problem?"

The ad shows how mainstream the concept of men not enabling the worst of their lot has become. It's a selling point now, like when the first gay couple turned up in that cereal commercial. This ad wasn't done lightly. They did a lot of focus groups and I'm sure they found out that most people react positively to people not turning a blind eye to bullying and harassment. Like Colin Kapernick for Nike, this will be a net positive for Gillette, I'm sure.

We shouldn’t need or want to have a company pushing social issues like this but as long as it helps sell their crap without negatively affecting their profits they’ll push whatever they have to. The faster nobody gets offended by everything the quicker we are to seeing an end of companies pushing social issues and picking sides.

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Guest CzarnaWisnia
On 1/17/2019 at 10:48 AM, BrendanT1993 said:

Just to clarify, adjectives qualify nouns, therefore "toxic masculinity" is different from "masculinity" the way "spoiled milk" is different from "milk." 

But if you really look at the ad, it's really saying most men are great guys and asks them to step forward and condemn bad behavior by other men. Maybe some men are offended they are expected to do anything at all? "Bulliers gonna bully, harassers gonna harass. How is this my problem?"

The ad shows how mainstream the concept of men not enabling the worst of their lot has become. It's a selling point now, like when the first gay couple turned up in that cereal commercial. This ad wasn't done lightly. They did a lot of focus groups and I'm sure they found out that most people react positively to people not turning a blind eye to bullying and harassment. Like Colin Kapernick for Nike, this will be a net positive for Gillette, I'm sure.

We shouldn’t need or want to have a company pushing social issues like this but as long as it helps sell their crap without negatively affecting their profits they’ll push whatever they have to. The faster nobody gets offended by everything the quicker we are to seeing an end of companies pushing social issues and picking sides.

The ad starts with news reports saying "bullying, the metoo movement against sexual harassment, toxic masculinity". And then the narrator: "is this the best men can get?" That's the premise of the ad: men bully, rape, are toxic. It's not the premise of the general public, who don't generalize on the basis of the worst exceptions nor believe, as you seem to do, that most men are disposable junk. Your hate is only matched by your condescending tone. "The need to say the right thing, to act the right way. Some already are. ... But some is not enough". So, if you really look at, and listen to, the ad, it's really not saying most men are great guys, but only some, dismissively. I'm not surprised you find it acceptable, as it adopts the same tone of derisive condescension you do.

I find this ad, by Egard Watches a much better take. But you probably won't like it, because it doesn't lecture men, it only tries to inspire them to be the best they can be.

 

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The advert makes sweeping generalisations about men which I will agree comes across as condescending towards them. I think it would be very interesting to see an advert targeting 'toxic femininity' in order to counter-balance the argument here. And yes, it does exist where females will use "sneakier" or less overt ways to exercise violence, power and control, particularly evident in working cultures and educational establishments. As a gay man who I guess outwardly appears '"straight", I have experienced this first hand on frequent occasions throughout my working life to the extent I would class this as sexist discrimination from females on the basis of gender, and in some instances, sexuality. Yes, men can sometimes be rotten hideous people but they can also be magnificent individuals - conversely as women can be. There just seems to be a constant discourse in society that seems to encourage the disparagement and disrespect of men which isn't really solving the problem of 'toxic masculinity' due to the inherent negativity within the discourse. Just as women should be championed and supported, men deserve to be championed and supported too as this may help them to steer clear of the path of 'toxic masculinity'. And no, I am not a misogynist, rapist, murderer, abuser or even a person who is necessarily 'politically correct'. I am just someone who believes in balance and fairness.

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1 hour ago, CzarnaWisnia said:

The ad starts with news reports saying "bullying, the metoo movement against sexual harassment, toxic masculinity". And then the narrator: "is this the best men can get?" That's the premise of the ad: men bully, rape, are toxic. It's not the premise of the general public, who don't generalize on the basis of the worst exceptions nor believe, as you seem to do, that most men are disposable junk. Your hate is only matched by your condescending tone. "The need to say the right thing, to act the right way. Some already are. ... But some is not enough". So, if you really look at, and listen to, the ad, it's really not saying most men are great guys, but only some, dismissively. I'm not surprised you find it acceptable, as it adopts the same tone of derisive condescension you do.

 I find this ad, by Egard Watches a much better take. But you probably won't like it, because it doesn't lecture men, it only tries to inspire them to be the best they can be.

 

Seriously, ads preach to us ALL THE TIME while selling us something. Didn't see anyone take to the forum to start a thread about Microsoft going all PC about the disabled kid's friends rushing to see him beat the game. 

No one infers that ALL PEOPLE treat animals like **** everytime Sarah McClachan is singing "Arms of the Angels" in the background of some SPCA ad.

If someone points out men can act like asses, and gosh, wouldn't it be nice if men stopped pretending nothing is going on and do something about it, well then, how dare you accuse all men of behaving badly? And no, putting nice men in the ad in no way means that you're not saying all men aren't bad!!* That's what patriarchy is about: men are entitled to behave badly because they're men, the apex predator and everyone is supposed to kowtow to their wants and needs and peccadilloes not make them uncomfortable about any deeds they may have done in their inerrant manliness. An attack on one is an attack on all because bros before hoes, right? 

I guess you didn't read any of the #metoo stories. Or maybe you did and just felt women should just deal with having their pussies grabbed. No harm, no foul, right? I think if you had read those stories, you would understand how insidious the idea that women's bodies are the property of men was, and you wouldn't have this idea that this shit only happens if it's a full moon on Tuesday. And when it does happen, it's the woman's fault, and she should just shut up about it. 

*This reminds me of the brouhaha after Monty Python's Life of Brian was released and religious nuts were accusing the movie of mocking Jesus when Jesus was actually portrayed in the movie and not mocked at all.

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