Gillette nods toward #MeToo, takes on 'toxic masculinity' in new shaving-free ad campaign

Gillette embraces #MeToo in new ad campaign

(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/Gilette)

published 15 January 2019

On Sunday, Gillette posted a new video taking its "Best a Man Can Get" slogan in another direction. "Is this the best a man can get? Is it?" the narrator asks, 30 years after Gillette debuted its tag line in the 1989 Super Bowl. The short film shows clips from news reports about the #MeToo movement, "toxic masculinity," and bullying. It's time to stop "making the same old excuses" about "boys being boys," the ad says. "We believe in the best in men. To say the right thing. To act the right way. Some already are, in ways big and small. But some is not enough. Because the boys watching today will be the men of tomorrow." Shorter versions of the commercial began airing online Monday.

On a new site, The Best Men Can Be, Gillette explains that "the Best a Man Can Get" was always an "aspirational statement," and said that as a culturally influential brand, "we have a responsibility to make sure we are promoting positive, attainable, inclusive, and healthy versions of what it means to be a man." The company said it will donate $1 million a year for three years to nonprofits that "inspire, educate, and help men of all ages achieve their personal 'best' and become role models for the next generation," starting with Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

"Despite its efforts, not everyone was impressed with the progressive move," People notes, "with many social media users criticizing the company for its depiction of men, calling the company 'anti-men' and 'insulting.'" You can read more about the pushback at People.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.