“Boys will be boys” is one of those phrases that, sadly, we all hear a little too often. Fortunately, though, times are changing, and people are starting to change the way they think about masculinity. For instance, there’s Gillette, which has made a bold and daring commercial to show it is time to believe in the best men can be.
This is an unexpected shift by the brand, which, until recently, had stuck with their traditional advertisements showing men shaving off their beard and women caressing their faces: a visual representation of “the best a man can get.” Now, in their most recent ad campaign, Gillette asks the question: isn’t it time for men to be the best they can be?
The company’s new is a short clip shedding light on toxic masculine behaviors, such as bullying, harassment, and mansplaining. For example, there’s a group of children chasing a boy; a boy who’s been attacked with slurs; a woman who gets groped while the audience laughs; and two boys fighting in a backyard as a group of grown men watch on. And these are only a few of the scenarios presented in the ad. In the accompanying tweet, Gillette asks, “isn’t it time we stop excusing bad behavior?”
Though the ad has received tons of praise for being so brave, Gillette has also received a fair amount of backlash from people of the opinion that “they have insulted masculinity,” and that “politics should never go with product branding.” However, the scenarios depicted in the ad are not politics: they are unacceptable behaviors that we as a society let happen more often than we should. In other words, this is what toxic masculinity looks like, and this ad is Gillette’s way to take a stand against it and inspire men to be better.
One of those Twitter users whose feelings have been hurt is why-is-he-still-relevant Piers Morgan, who clearly doesn’t comprehend the importance of putting an end to toxic behaviors that jeopardize the health and wellbeing of men and women around the world. Maybe he and other critics might want to take a look at the APA’s clear explanation of what toxic masculinity is, why it’s so harmful, and why it needs to end once and for all:
“Traits of so-called ‘traditional masculinity,’ like suppressing emotions & masking distress, often start early in life & have been linked to less willingness by boys & men to seek help, more risk-taking & aggression – possibly harming themselves & those with whom they interact.”
In no way is this ad wrong, superficial, or pandering to feminists and liberals. Instead, it’s a relevant and necessary cultural object that inserts itself in the global conversation about justice and equality being had right now. It shows that it is time to set a better example to young boys, to teach them to be brave and stand up against injustice, to embrace their emotions, to seek help, and to help others.
Gillette invites us to finally shave off “man up” from the English vocabulary and to build a world where boys can be whatever they want without caring about whether or not they fit into traditional masculine ideals. As the ad says, these boys will be men one day, and the only way we can hope for a better and more equal future for everyone is if we teach them to be the best they can be.
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