Gillette’s advert proves some people are too sensitive – Blaise Tapp

Are we too easily offended? It is a question I often have to ask myself, usually after some delicate soul takes umbrage at something I have said or, on occasion, written.
The latest Gillette advert has caused quite a stir...The latest Gillette advert has caused quite a stir...
The latest Gillette advert has caused quite a stir...

The latest storm in a teacup comes in the shape of an advert for Gillette.

The premise is quite straightforward – it brings many stereotypes about masculinity, including the toxic, nudge, nudge, wink, wink aspects, firmly under the spotlight and makes for a punchy 109 seconds of viewing.

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The video is a response to the #MeToo movement and challenges its The Best A Man Can Get motto, which is arguably the most instantly recognisable marketing catchline of all time.

The ad calls out bad behaviour, including men leering at women in the street, chauvinistic nonsense in the workplace and young boys feeling the need to knock seven bells out of others.

It also showcases the ‘modern man’, the kind of guy who breaks up fights and stops his pal from channelling his inner Benny Hill.

The response has been nothing short of breathtaking. 

There are fuming fellas from Ilfracombe to Idaho claiming they will never buy the brand’s products ever again, claiming that the company has turned its back on the very people who have generated it billions of dollars over the decades.

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The word ‘betrayal’ has been used quite a bit by those offended by this very clever piece of marketing.

It is almost laughable that men who associate themselves with old fashioned values and hark back to a time when unacceptable behaviour was described as ‘banter’, or its 1970s equivalent, are offended by this. 

Weren’t the ‘real men’ of yesteryear unmoved by anything?

They certainly wouldn’t have watched television, let alone complain about what was on it.

I’m a bloke who has consistently come close to displaying old school masculinity, yet always fallen slightly short. 

And I applaud Gillette for using its mighty brand to project the message that we are not all knuckle dragging halfwits.