For years advertising campaigns have been changing but one
thing many still have in common is the need to show women how they can become
better versions of themselves. Adverts to show how you should look, how your
hair should be styles, even how much weight you should lose. We get on with it
and try to ignore companies talking about imperfections that many can’t help.
Advertising aimed at men however is quite a stark contrast,
very few adverts are about telling men how to act and behave. Instead these
adverts encourage certain behaviours and reinforce what they are already doing.
Until Gillette cam along and changed the game with their new advertising campaign,
inspired by the #MeToo movement.
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| Image source: Cosmopolitan.com |
For anyone who has not seen this advert yet, it calls men
out on their behaviour, behaviour that is viewed as being toxic masculinity. It
shows that behaviours that are displayed in every day life are not acceptable but
that not all men act in this way. It shows men holding other men accountable
for their behaviours and trying to educate them. The campaign plays on the well
known Gillette slogan “The best a man can
get”, replacing it with “The best a
man can be”.
Gillette has made a bold move which has catapulted them into
the 21st century. It shows that the world is changing and they are prepared
to take action to keep up. Many have decided that this isn’t good enough,
unsurprisingly men.
The vast majority of men I have seen making comments about
the video have been praising it, saying they believe this is the way forward
and it shows that not all men are the same. It shows that not all men act in a
certain way, the ‘nice guy’ still exists, but that the ‘nice guy’ should be a normality
not a minority. Fitting with this I haven’t seen one negative comment from a woman,
why would you comment negatively? That is what the #MeToo movement is all about
for us, we want men to start to realise that sometimes the way they act is wrong,
before they need to be called up on it.
Just because a message can be hurtful or hard to hear, it doesn't mean it isn't one that should be ignored. In fact this is the very reason a message should be conveyed and an conversation should be started. Isn't the only way to bring about a positive change, in a positive way overall, by starting a conversation?
Just because a message can be hurtful or hard to hear, it doesn't mean it isn't one that should be ignored. In fact this is the very reason a message should be conveyed and an conversation should be started. Isn't the only way to bring about a positive change, in a positive way overall, by starting a conversation?
The negative comments say that this is ‘feminist propaganda’,
with some men even going as far as to say they will boycott the brand if an
apology is not issued by the company. It is doubtful however that this threat
will work. A company as large as Gillette and its owners, Procter & Gamble,
are not stupid. This campaign is a tactical move, designed to cause outrage
and get a conversation started. As the old saying goes ‘all publicity is good
publicity’ and if this publicity gets a conversation started in the mean time
then we’re all better off for it.
