A Cut Above
This month, Ian Harrold considers the importance of men holding other men accountable and, of course, that Gillette advert
Words by Ian HARROLD
So you might have noticed a little bit of upset around Gillette’s latest advert. In one fell swoop it seems the brand has turned tail on its former manly-man slant in favour of a more measured, less muscular approach to masculinity. It’s a pretty powerful piece of publicity, one that’s proved as divisive as it is debatable.
Naturally, you could say that Gillette’s ad is nothing more than a cynical ploy to stay relevant as a male grooming brand. Peak beard has no doubt had a pretty terrible effect on sales, and lord knows it’s difficult enough for a male grooming brand to win favour with a female audience (I’m looking at you, Lynx). Will the ad help to sell razors? Who knows. But honestly, does it matter? Regardless of Gillette’s hidden (or not-so-hidden) commercial agenda, the ad hits on something that we all need to be talking about.
The gripe with ‘Toxic Masculinity’, while entirely justified, has become a tad diluted. Just like the concept of ‘mansplaining’ before it, it’s become a catch-all phrase that’s as wrongly abused as it is rightly decried. Gillette’s attack against the ‘boys will be boys’ mentality is a little more focussed, because it hones in on an ugly area of masculinity that both (or, if we’re going there, all) sexes should rile against unanimously: aggression, misogyny and generally just setting a bad example.
There’s nothing wrong with men holding other men to higher standards. ‘Men need to hold other men accountable,’ says a suited Terry Crews, and given his (quite literal) imposing stature, I’m inclined to agree.
As far as I can tell, it just seems a lot of guys feel a tad told off, scolded or even intruded upon. It’s as if the taking to task of the tired old ‘boys will be boys’ rhetoric is somehow an invasion upon some hallowed masculine turf. It isn’t. It’s a call for a collective denouncement of some dated and down right ugly male traits and an invitation to be better. Moving away from ridiculous masculine precepts towards a celebration of a fuller, healthier spectrum of male behaviors can only be a good thing. And to be perfectly honest, if you feel like Gillette’s latest advert is pissing all over your lawn then it’s a decent indication that you might be on the wrong side of the fence. IH
