Months ago, Gillette put out an ad that essentially told men they were a bunch of “toxic masculinity” jerks who should clean up their act.
Evidently the company liked the results of this ad, because now they’ve put one out with a transgender first-time shaver.
From Gerren Keith Gaynor’s article in the New York Post:
A new Gillette ad released last week Thursday features a transgender man shaving for the first time.
Samson Bonkeabantu Brown, a Toronto-based artist, shares the personal on-camera experience with his father, who coaches him through the significant life moment.
“Now, don’t be scared,” his father warns. “Shaving is about being confident.”
“Growing up, I was always trying to figure out what kind of man I wanted to become and I’m still trying to figure out what kind of man that I want to become,” says Brown, who addresses his transition through manhood.
Want to see the video itself? OK, here it is:
Does this move you toward buying Gillette razors? Apparently, Gillette thinks the answer is yes — despite the fact that, according to Barron’s, the “toxic masculinity” ad did not stem Gillette’s decline in razor sales….which make the premise pretty iffy.
Personally, I don’t care who shaves with any brand, I only care if , personally, get a good shave for an acceptable, preferably low, price. And this ad tells me nothing about that.
Maybe Gillette might want to consider that there are probably a lot more guys like me out there than guys who say “wow, trangenders shave with Gillette, so I’m going to rush out to Walgreen’s and buy some”.
Mr. Reagan did an excellent video take down of this ad, with a comparison to the olden days.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8CN1foaYm0&feature=em-uploademail