Gillette ‘Toxic Masculinity’ Ad Relies on Men Being Bad to Sell Razors

If you live on the internet, like I do, you’ve probably seen Gillette’s “#TheBestMenCanBe” video ad by now.

The ad features a series of scenes in which physically masculine men bully women, their actions excused because “boys will be boys.” It’s “toxic masculinity,” as character in the ad describes it.

Then a group of ‘good’ men appear. These men do not have beards. They’re kind, helpful, and gentle with women and children, and better yet; they’ve shaved their beards with Gillette razors.

“We believe in the best in men, to say the right thing, to act in the right way,” says the voice narrator in the ad. “Some already are, in ways big and small. But some is not enough.”

Speaking of “toxic,” there’s nothing more toxic in this scenario than the assumption that physical male traits, such as facial hair, are in any way a predisposition to bad behavior and bullying women. But let’s face it: Gillette has some razors to sell. So why not hop onto the politicized anti-masculinity narrative while it lasts?

It’ll anger some men, reinforce negative stereotypes and expectations in others, and be just un-ironically condescending and hypocritical. But hey, razors are being sold. And Gillette gets to virtue-signal all the while, without a scratch!

Here’s the thing: there’s a massive wave of men and women across America who have heard enough of this political advertising tactic to see right through it. I’m a fan of free market capitalism, personally, and I love to see companies build up and market their products to epic success rates.

But I’m not going to cheer Gillette for moral superiority while I say it.

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.