Why are people angry at the Gillette advert? – Student Shout

You cannot scroll through social media without seeing people arguing over something that seems frivolous.

Gillette’s We Believe: The Best Men Can Be advert hit the headlines after the controversy it caused.

And honestly I just don’t understand why so many people are angry. In the advert, Gillette challenged men to be the best they can be. It urged men to stop others from behaving badly towards women and each other. That’s fair enough, isn’t it?

The Youtube video currently sits at 1.3 million dislikes, with many commenters stating they will not use Gillette again.

Lots of men feel that the advert generalises as not all men act aggressively to women. Others found the piece ‘emasculating’ and thought it was poor marketing from Gillette to insult their main consumer demographic.

If an issue does not affect you directly then you should just leave it alone. Who are we to get offended on the behalf of others? If you have always behaved well and acted respectably, then you have no reason to be offended.

In a time when the #MeToo movement has exposed hundreds of powerful men who have sexually abused women, maybe it is a good thing to have wealthy companies challenging men ‘to be better’.

I understand the point that some people have raised that Gillette may be pretending to care about this issue to sell razors and make their brand look good. This is plausible but it’s also an extremely cynical view.

In this day and age, a business sadly cannot be seen to promote something positive without being accused of having an ulterior motive. I don’t think you can deny that Gillette’s statement came from the right place. It may be a sensitive topic for some but I think the backlash has been too harsh.

Stop proving them right.