The Gillette Ad and the Modern Gentleman

When you buy something using the affiliate links on our site, we may earn a small commission.

Because we’re called the Gentleman’s Gazette and we hold ourselves out to help men be gentlemen, we thought it was a good time to discuss what it means to be a gentleman or masculinity and men in general. So without further ado, let’s watch the Gillette video and I’ll share my thoughts.

What I Think About The Gillette Ad…

Okay, so it’s obviously about the me-too movement, honestly, to me, saying, “Gillette, the best a man can get” is like saying “McDonald’s, the highest quality health food a man can get”. It’s just a complete empty statement that couldn’t be further from the truth but again, that’s just my opinion.

Bullying

Yeah, bullying is not something a gentleman should engage in, neither is sexual harassment, but if we actually take a step back and look at a piece that we created in 2016, it’s called what it means to be a gentleman today, and we simply tried to analyze what it means in this day and age because you know back in the day, there were simply different terms for gentleman right? It used to be a courteous or honorable man but all those things don’t necessarily ring true anymore in this day and age.

So we came up with these 11 points, right? One is a gentleman is imperfect. A gentleman has high standards, he’s well dressed, he has good manners, he’s open-minded, he’s interesting and informed, his actions match his words and he treats other people with respect.

Now, when you touch a woman’s ass, that’s anything but respectful because you just treat her as an object, right? So I know there was a time when this was considered okay or men would say “Well, she wants it”

Frankly, I’m happy to live in this day and age where everyone should be able to decide whether they can be touched or not and they can express feelings and they’re in control what happens to their body and not someone else.

Honestly, I would agree! Just laughing things off or saying “Oh, it’s not that big of a deal” is not gonna solve the deeper issue of an imbalance of power that is often there. Now, don’t get me wrong! Everything we do is for men and we will never do a ladies Gazette or a Woman’s Gazette because we’re passionate about helping men and becoming better.

Gillette Logo
Gillette Logo

Now a great man who is often not discussed at first when it comes to a gentleman, Vin Diesel. He had those wise words to say “Being male is a matter of birth, being a man is a matter of age but being a gentleman is a matter of choice” and to me, that really rings home because it is very very true.

I didn’t have a decision in whether I’m a man or not, I was born that way. When I turned 18, I became a man but by trying to become better every day and to live to a certain standard where I treat others with respect, I hold myself out to be a gentleman where I’m aspiring to be one. I know it’s hard, we all make mistakes, I did them and we’re not always on our A-game, however, that doesn’t mean that we can’t strive to be that.

Okay, so in this case, for example, I doubt the gentleman actually thinks that he’s behaving in an ungentlemanly way but by touching her and saying what she’s actually trying to say is he’s basically belittling her right? and you never, as a gentleman, want to belittle others, you want to treat them respectfully and a question to ask is, would he have treated a man or would he have treated an equal like that? and the answer is probably not because putting your hand on someone’s shoulder and trying to articulate what they want to say is usually what you do with a little boy or when you basically want to show that they’re just learning and they’re not up to par yet to talk at the table with the big shots.

Now, boys will be boys, yes! I was a boy. Boys are often more rambunctious, they want to fight, and they want to have little toy weapons and while all that is okay, it’s not okay to accept other kids being bullied or beaten up simply because they’re different and frankly, when I was a boy, I engaged in behavior where we had one guy in our school and we knew that he would kind of flip out or go crazy when we just kind of teased him and so we would tease him just to get that reaction. Looking back, that was a very ungentlemanly behavior and I think it would have been great if someone would have stepped up and gone in between and told us boys “Hey it’s not okay to do that” and rather than just ignoring it and letting us tease that boy who probably had a very hard time.

#MeTooMovement

Yes, it’s true. The me-too movement is here, it is real and it’s good. I think that it’s a subject of discussion because oftentimes, it was not discussed or just treated as something that is not worth being discussed.

I don’t know, to me it seems more like a marketing slogan that they try to use to push their products but if I remove myself from that, I think being a gentleman is inherently connected to improving and getting better, taking criticism, and just learn from it and grow. What I mean by that is if we stop getting better, we already stopped being good and it’s something that all Oliver Cromwell once said and it was a very wise slogan.

So just because this ad is bringing up negative behavior that some men, not all men express or demonstrate, doesn’t mean that all men are bad but I think it’s a good reminder to just reevaluate our own behavior because I think, often, we don’t think about our own behavior as bad but others, particularly women, look at it and feel like it’s sexist whereas we think “oh it’s totally okay”  In my opinion, it’s just good to take a step back and say “hey, what behaviors do I display that may be sexist?”

In Case You Missed The Gillette Ad:

Civil Courage

What’s displayed here is more like a form of civil courage. When you see something that is not okay, you speak up and I think as a gentleman, that’s always the honorable thing to do, you don’t just walk away and let others do their thing but if you see that someone is getting beaten up, speak up. If you see that a woman is maybe harassed or treated in a way that makes her uncomfortable, speak up and give her the feeling of comfort and I think that’s something where, we as men, can just reevaluate our behavior and think what we’re doing is truly respecting others, including women.

Yeah, that’s another aspect of it right? If we’re men and we are insecure in ourselves, it’s great to help others feel better and empower them and ultimately, being a person that others want to be around with, that helps them to grow rather than someone who tries to push him down or belittles them. I think that’s something that we can all aspire to as human beings and just as men or women or LGBT, it doesn’t matter. It’s just equality that great people have.

“Do As I Say, Not Do As I Do”

Yeah, it’s the old game, right? Do as I say, not do as I do. Living by example is a lot more powerful than just telling people what to do and actually showing, as a dad or someone who is an important figure in someone else’s life and acting responsibly, has a huge impact which is why a lot of sports people oftentimes get disciplined if they don’t act well in public because it has such a big impact on kids and if it’s okay for other people to do stuff, then little kids think it’s okay for them to do stuff. So our actions don’t just affect ourselves but also others who look up to us. So keep that in mind!

The Ad As A Whole…

The best a man can get, looking at the ad as a whole, I think a lot of people got offended by it because they felt like it was just pointing out negative things about men. Now, I think it pointed out certain aspects of negative male behavior that is sometimes displayed and it’s something that men can change, that they can get over with. A lot of men don’t actually do this stuff which is great and men are important in our society, right? I mean men fight in the military, men help to rescue others, the suicide rate for men is higher, depression rate for men is higher, so men sacrifice a lot in our society and it doesn’t mean that men are not valued or that they have to change everything they do but there are certain aspects where we engage in a certain sexist behavior or we do things that belittle others and I think that can be changed and that’s a valid point.

Do I Think Gillette Did That Because They Genuinely Believe In That?

Frankly, I don’t know. I’m rather doubtful. To me, it’s a big marketing thing because they’re really having a hard time, from a business point of view, they’re selling products to women and they just want to be a part of the conversation and clearly, with 24 million views after just a week, they’re achieving that goal.

Will It Help Gillette Turn Around Sales?

I don’t know, I’m rather doubtful because the product itself sucks but at the end of the day, I think it’s good to discuss these things and bring men to think about their behavior and maybe have others think about their behavior too. Just because being a woman doesn’t mean you can’t belittle others or you can be unfair to others. If you look at things like the CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, do you realize that 95% of men or an average, men still earn more than women not necessarily because they do better work but because they’re traditionally considered to be the breadwinner so it is just something to consider and looking at overall wealth, I mean 88% of all billionaires today are men.

CONCLUSION

I think we have some ways to go to achieve true gender equality but that doesn’t mean I have to be apologetic of being a man and I’m very secure in who I am but it doesn’t mean that I can’t improve. I try to improve every day, I want to make our website better, I want to make our products better, I want to be a better dad, and I want to treat people better and having that mindset, I think helps me and if I’m just shutting down when someone criticizes me and just say “oh I’m offended I’m not gonna do or buy this product again” because they criticize me in a way, then that stops me from from getting better because I have a picture of myself in mind and by putting down any valid criticism, you’re just actually holding yourself back from achieving that level.

So again, I’m not telling you what to do or that you’re a bad person, I’m just saying reconsider your behavior, think about it, and be conscious of it and that’s what you can do to be a better man and therefore, you can strive to be a gentleman and aspire to be that and help others and help them grow and be a better person.

Reader Comments

  1. I cannot help but think Gillette are jumping on the #Me too bandwagon with their campaign. They have done a lot with this advert to promote the name but not in a wholly positive way. Lots of men are very annoyed at it. Harry’s Razors will do very well from a campaign that antagonized a lot of consumers. Personally I think Gillette and their owners P&G exploit men with their sky high prices.
    As a man I strive to be a good son, father, husband and colleague. As such I will treat women with the respect and love their deserve.
    I do not need some wise guy Mad Man to tell me how to behave.

    1. It wasn’t Admen that came up with this ad, it was an Australian feminist. Also notice that all of the bad men in the ad are white men, a very easy target these days.

      1. As a white,middle class man in his early 60s I bear a large responsibility for the wrongs of the world (allegedly): I am pale, male & stale!

        To decry white men for the sins of the world is a trope that we all suffer under: yet who is manning the barricades for us?

      2. Well, most of the American population is white, which is why most men on TV, movies and commercials in general are also white.

      3. A white guy’s grabbing a black women’s ass when in fact, it’s R Kelly who’s in the news these days. They may think they’re being bold and heroic, when in fact its meek and cowardly, perhaps more than a little paradoxical that they are picking on a safe target.

        Anyway, always like Sven, doesn’t mind saying “ass” or saying that Gillette’s product’s suck. I use Harry’s these days.

    2. I have been a subscriber to your channel for years you really need to look at who directed this commercial I did not know that you is such a Beta man

  2. ” the product itself sucks “???
    The world–yes the world, not just the US–is full of men who think otherwise, and I feel certain that that includes many of the readers of this site.

  3. I had not seen the Gillette commercial but had heard the controversy. Seeing your essay, I did view the video of the commercial and I personally find the commercial offensive and a sell-out. It is an obvious marketing ploy, jumping on the bandwagon bashing ‘toxic masculinity’. The ad focuses on negative behavior rather than celebrating all the GOOD things that men do. Would it not have been more effective to put the emphasis on the good things that REAL MEN do? While I agree with the philosophy that being born male is biology but being a Gentleman is a matter of choice, I also hold that all the bashing of MEN who are doing their duty as PROPER men, standing up for what is RIGHT, being protectors, being GENTLEMEN, is a symptom of what is wrong with today’s society. Gillette’s latest attempt at being Politically Correct disgusts me and frankly, I hope they have shot themselves in the foot. If I used Gillette products, I would now be searching for alternatives. No individual or company that belittles MEN who are being Proper Men, will receive my support.

    1. Positivity is something definitely to be desired, whether in behavior, in commercials, or in news coverage. The issue with the Gillette commercial is that it seems to be scolding. However, I don’t see myself as the target of the scolding because I know I don’t behave that way, and thus I am not bothered. The question that needs to be asked is what percentage of men evince “gentlemanly behavior” and what percentage needs to be called out. Given that 20% of all American women are sexual assaulted and 40%+ are subject to sexual violence in their lives, the numbers seem to suggest that there are enough men out there that need to be called out at the very least.

  4. Why is it that only “White” men in this commercial are conveyed as the villain? So-called “White Privilege”? Does this really help the overall scenario for men in general? This is also prevalent in many other media interpretations of so-called white privilege. It’s getting a bit old and tiresome. With the passing of Martin Luther King, Jr day, why is this still an issue? Why is it still being made an issue?

  5. Good points, Sven… introspection can bring awareness and improvement, good things to be sure. Marketing has always been social engineering – to change our behavior and we choose our response. Gentlemen prioritize quality and grace and are not reactive to emotionally charged events. I’m not advocating for silent acceptance of misandry or negative male stereotypes but someone’s judgment/accusation/claim against men (or me specifically) doesn’t make it true and gentlemen are not undone by them. Use high-quality products that bring you joy while standing firm in who you are as a gentleman, let your life be evidence against negative male narratives… smile, forgive, be joyful.

  6. One man (Ilan Srulovicz, CEO of Egard Watch Company) decided to respond with his own add (he wrote and did the voice-over); and it’s pretty good:

  7. GG-
    I always appreciate your content and look forward to your excellent advice. However in this case I feel there are important points that should not be overlooked in the discussion. I hope that pointing these out will stimulate thoughtfulness and perspective.

    * the #metoo movement empowers women to resist sexual harassment, but it also appears to encourage false claims against men. Statistically there are far more false claims than substantiated claims. This is a significant problem for men because even an unsubstantiated accusation can be devastating. I know you’ve addressed this in previous videos, so maybe a link to those would be helpful for viewers.

    * Most men recognize that bullying is wrong and I agree with you that most gentlemen will intervene if they see bullying. However, women can also be bullys, and social experiments have demonstrated that people are far less likely to intervene when a woman is the perpetrator. I suggest that, as such, bullying from women may be a much greater problem in our culture than male perpetrated bullying. To wit, if you look at TV, movies etc. carefully you will see that male bullying is always rightly portrayed as problematic, while female bullying is often portrayed as “funny” or entertaining. This double standard is wrong and harmful to society.

    * Finally, men must be “on guard” against accusations and stereotyping. We can strive to continuously improve ourselves, but must also be mindful that ads like this reflect a growing anti-male sentiment in society. Even a good man can fall victim to unfair stereotypes and often has little recourse once he is suspected or accused. As men we must be vigilant to protect our reputation and very careful and cautious about even the slightest interactions with women. Men must remember than any woman, at any time, has the power to utterly destroy a mans life with a simple unsubstantiated accusation. This is the reality we live in, and we must support one another to resist unfair treatment by way of stereotypes to live happy, productive lives and contribute our creativity and accomplishments to improve not just ourselves, but also the communities in which we live.

    Thank you for your content!
    Alec

  8. As a business professional, I see two facets of this ad, that one is a positive message for men but one also that tarnishes the message. As men, we should always strive to improve who are and how we treat ourselves and all of those around us in general. This is not just a standard professionally like kaizen, but in our personal lives as well. The problem is more of who is providing this message, the key they are out for targeting an audience and there is ambiguity as to who they are targeting. This is why certain segments of the population will defend themselves from such an ad. In general, more of these discussions need to be addressed in the general media, not just in a television advertisement. But the ad did start the conversation here and maybe more conversations like this are happening elsewhere.

    1. Tom, as someone who has taught writing for the web and business communication, I agree that it is crucial to determine the audience and the audience reaction. If it’s telling the audience to behave better, it’s assuming an audience that is badly behaved, which will then alienate that audience.

  9. The ad lumps all men into the same basket because of our “toxic masculinity.” It assumes that most men are causing problems and holding society back. There is a reason why the ad has over one million “dislikes” on YouTube. As gentlemen, we should constantly be self-aware. We do not need a corporation or news station to tell us how to behave. I always try my best to treat others with respect regardless of age, race, or gender. I don’t know anyone who is ass-grabbing scoundrel or who belittles women, especially at work. Gillette assumes that most men behave this way, when in fact I would venture a guess that it is a small minority of immature “men” or pubescent boys.

  10. Rafael,

    Thank you for having the courage to post this article. It’s important that we as men work together to make ourselves better. Sometimes that means having discussions in places that feel uncomfortable. I don’t know how many other menswear sites blogs and groups that I’ve been a part of have that have tried to bring up this discussion only to be shouted back down by those saying this is not the place for this kind of topic. Thank you for helping to spread this message and topic and all you guys and gals do at GG to make being a gentleman a goal for men again.

  11. You seem a very decent man Sven, sadly that is not what is arrayed against mankind and to another extent Western civilization. Women ARE equal before the Law, and if you know anybody who claims otherwise in the name of all that’s Holy please forward it to me, we could use some pricey litigation. #METOO may have started with some positive intent but it has metastasized into a secondary rationalization for witch hunts and mob behavior. As far as Gillette is concerned, I see it more simply. That is to say their opinion about me, or in fact anything is not part of our potential relationship. Sadly, we live at a moment of a certain degenerate cultural Marxism with it’s constant othering, a time of increasingly vile and out of control language, which segues into death threats and ultimately violence. Gillette’s ad was neither plea nor admonition it was a targeted attack, and if the pattern holds it will be followed by more. The Left always ‘only wants…’ fill in any concession, in reality all they really desire is submission from any non-cheerleading non-Marxist. Love your work, keep it up.

    1. Ceasare, how do you see the pay gap between men and women, where women in the same jobs receive considerably less pay. I’ve always wondered how this is possible in light of equality legislation.

      1. It is a lie. Simply, you have been lied to by said marxists and the media which they control. The actual facts are that mean and women make the same for the same job and performance. What the researchers have found is that many men look for and accept far more demanding and lucrative careers. They put in far more hours and show more commitment to the corporation. Overall, women in SIMILAR positions with SIMILAR corporations tend to put in fewer hours-generally citing family obligations and personal health. When researchers find two employees, one male and one female, who make identical commitments in the same field, willing to make the same personal sacrifices for future corporate gain, the salaries are the same. It’s been proven, but it doesn’t follow party ideology.

        1. What’s your source on being lied to marxists?

          While I have only an anecdotal story I personally know a female co-worker who was paid about $1 less than me yet have much more relevant experience than me.

      2. It’s also illegal in the rare cases where it happens—has been since the Equal Pay Act of 1963.

        Apples-to-apples comparisons that factor in seniority, overtime hours worked, job danger/discomfort (which requires an employer to pay a premium to find a good worker to fill the position, I.e. telephone lineman), etc always show the wage gap in the US to be a myth.

  12. It is nothing other than more anti-white male propaganda that has been so widespread in recent years throughout the media and schooling institutions. It is a blatant attack on Western masculinity i.e the people who built the West. That recent incident with the white MAGA kid who was receiving death threats and tons of angry hate because he smiled when getting harassed by that American Indian is probably the most blatant recent example of this. If you don’t believe me, consider this: In the Gillette ad they originally had a clip where there was one black man acting in a portrayed negative way; they ended up removing it so the entire groups of perpetrators were white men.

    On the top of actual razors, disposables are rubbish. Safety razors for life! I recently picked up a nice stainless steel feather razor and a badger bristle brush. Never going back to those horrible cartridges that leave that horrible gel on your face and rip out your hair.

  13. Sven,

    First let me say that I love your site and reference it often. I am trying to raise a gentleman so I often send him to your site as well.

    Next, as to the video you have made several good points; however, you missed the big one and you failed at being cognizant of your own sexism right after you made the statement that you are always on the lookout for it. Easy mistake.

    The big miss that I reference is the overall theme. I played this video for my young son and questioned him about it to, hopefully, get a check on my own bias. His first response was, “well, I kind of feel bad about myself.” I asked many questions to follow up, but kept coming back to that response. His initial feeling. You see, as you agree, prejudice is wrong. It is not right for some groups and wrong for others. It is wrong. The generalization that men are bad and need to be doing better makes this video wrong. Women need to be doing better. Minority groups need to be doing better. We ALL need to be doing better. That is the cornerstone of an advancing, sophisticated society. Calling out a single group based on assumptions, generalizations, prejudice is wrong. Gillette is wrong.

    As to your sexist error, you mentioned that a gentleman would step in if he saw someone mistreating a lady. You are assuming that a lady needs the help of a man. That is no different than the boardroom situation that you pointed out as being wrong in the video. Now, you need to either ignore the lady in distress or help the man in distress equally. Likewise, if you wish to hold a door for a lady, you had better do it for a gentleman as well.

    My final point is to address the hypersensitivity of it all. My example refers back to the boardroom scene again. You asked, “would you do that to a man?” The answer is yes. When I was taking management classes years ago that example was used as a “proper” technique to advance the conversation. A light touch, such as the handshake while touching the shoulder with your left hand, sends a signal that you value that person. I think that it is still taught as a technique after someone makes a point. You then summarize there point as, “I hear this…” to clarify that the message sent was the one recieved. If I miss the point, it is expected of the communicator to reexplain or another member of the team should say, “I think what James is saying is….” It was considered proper. The technique came from a psychology study I believe.

    As to the pay gap, this has been beaten to death. Ultra liberal Harvard recently concluded and published a study on the subject that is a good read. The very summarized version is that we all have different goals. They studied males vs females working in an organized union with exact pay and work rules. Spoiler alert: the men made more money given the exact same opportunities.

    Take a look at this. “The True Gentleman” You make many of these points. I had a picture of this hanging in my bedroom for years. It hangs in my son’s room now. Timeless.

    https://66.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5eh01S4u41ql1nl1o1_500.png

    JT

  14. Hopefully one day more men will be man enough to admit that this behavior is far from being the exception. Have you never heard of fraternities?
    Gillette-bashing is not the solution to the problem.
    More honesty, gentlemen!

    1. I have heard of fraternities. I was a member. We lived our life based on “The True Gentleman” by John Walter Wayland. We did service projects every month. We serenaded girlfriends of our members. We dressed like gentlemen everywhere we went knowing that we were representing more than ourselves. Nearly every member from my fraternity married their college girlfriends. Only ONE of my brothers is divorced in a country where the divorce rate is near 50%. Without giving my age, we have all been married for nearly 25 years now.

      As I said in a previous post, if you are making blind generalizations of a group of people, you are the problem. You are doing the same as a racist. You are doing the same as a misogynist. You are doing the same as an anti-Semite. How do you not see this? Do yoga. Meditate. Look for the hatred within yourself. Speak to a friend or professional.

      Be a gentleman. Hold yourself to a higher standard.

  15. @Ceasare,
    I never thought of myself as being a Leftist, but you have convinced me that if being a Rightist requires me to give in to gorilla instincts, I’d better look into Leftism. I also thought that readers of this site assumed that brutish behavior is not a hallmark of a gentleman.

  16. I felt the ad was just a weak, go-with-the-flow, pile of junk. There were plenty of ways for Gillette to get this point across in an easier to swallow way and they just jumped on the tail end of a bandwagon that’s starting to get old. Instead of this “call out” method, they could have easily shown a father teaching his son how to shave in addition to how to be a gentleman. I personally don’t buy Gillette products, but I might start to avoid and P&G products.

    Sven, appreciate your review of this commercial!

  17. Gillette is a Proctor & Gamble company. They feel a certain moral superiority and as such have alienated a huge portion of their customer base. Good job P&G! I’m switching to Harry’s!

    1. I switched to Harry’s more than a year ago. Excellent shave at a very fair price. I feel so much better now that I am no longer being robbed.

  18. There is nothing new under the sun.
    The problem is with those whose moral compass has been constructed by popular culture which reduces human beings to objects. So long as we have people driven by the trappings of materialism and the satisfaction of the deadly sins, we will have non-gentlemanly (and womanly) behaviors. This is not new. It is as old as time.
    The problem today is with the demagogues who would pretend to hold the solution to a problem that is neither new nor novel.
    Their remedies, (painting all men with the same brush, embracing cultural or sexual or racial bias in promoting people rather than via merit, suggesting that we embrace sexual excess as an inborn right of expression, for both sexes), will solve nothing and liberate no one.
    Men (and women) behaving like the James Bond character is not conducive to respectful treatment of all human beings, just as embracing affirmative action will never eliminate favoritism, cronyism, or nepotism in our workplace. These injustices will never disappear, despite the laws correctly put into place to combat them. Selecting a new (men) subgroup of people to discriminate against will again, solve nothing.
    The concept that what was once acceptable is no longer is disingenuous and ultimately the most damaging to men. Men behaving badly was wrong and immoral two thousand years ago. It is wrong now. Men treating anyone as an object was wrong two thousand years ago. It is wrong now.

  19. MISANTHROPES:The new Gillette advertising campaign evidence that P&G and Gillette suffer from an insufferable case of toxic stupidity. Never again will I purchase or use a Gillette product. Gillette’s ad campaign demonstrates it views and attempts to reduce all men to impotent beta-boys.

  20. I fully disagree with the commercial. It may have had good intentions but I really doubt it knowing the history of the two lady’s who made it. For the most part, men do not act the way they were portrayed in the ad, and it’s silly to say that men across America have a “problem”. Men are good to people, and with current attacks on the average Joe, it’s no wonder men are checking out. The assumption from people that men act like this is wrong, and very few, such as Harvey Weinstein act in this way. I would just wonder what would happen if Tampax did a commercial talking about women, false rape alligations, getting terribly drunk and blaming someone else for actions afterwards, or complaining that there isn’t equal treatment, but won’t participate in the draft. Wonder how that would go over and how easy people would condemn it. Those are all issues that women need to face, but it’s the wrong way to go about it especially in an ad for women. People would easy jump to their defense, but why is it that people have such a hard time defending our boys, and why is it that a GENTLEMANS magazine, won’t even call this ad out for what it is, total crap.

  21. I saw the ad and thought it was bad from a marketing perspective. Advertisements are supposed to make their target audience want to buy their products or services. I saw no mention of the superiority of the Gillette product. Neither was there anything telling why we need their product. Finally, offending the target audience is no way to sell a product; instead, it drives the intended audience away.

    1. The company wanted a viral ad,which they achieved..getting their name talked about widely across the world and they won’t care about copping flak,as any publicity is good publicity.

  22. Dear Sven – I love GG and I have followed you since the beginning. I agree with all you said about the Gillette commercial and your views…. I must admit, hearing the words from your mouth “It’s not OK to touch a woman’s ass” cracked me up LOL LOL… I totally agree, but you saying that was so funny, because you are always soooo straightlaced …. Keep up the good work….

  23. I think gillette did what it set out to do. that is getting people talking about it’s ad and what it means. Personally i think that ads in general do try to get people’s emmotions ringing in favor or not in favor of the product that they want to promote as in all of the comments that this article had generated. If i like product that i see i may try it or buy it regardless of the ad”s message.
    The same way some company have football players or actors pitching a certain product. That will not make me buy that product or service. If you want to buy the product. then buy it. or just pass it up and buy another. That is what i do.

  24. You probably didn’t expect to have a woman chime in on this discussion, but here I am. I work with women and men in my business, so I follow a variety of blogs. When the “Me Too” movement first started, I think it was needed and for the right reason. However, it quickly took on a political agenda. As a conservative, their current agenda and my values don’t align. It is wrong to target white males and say they are the problem. My father treated women with respect. My husband has always treated me and all other women with respect. I do wonder what my grandchildren will be faced with in the future; 3 boys and 2 girls.

  25. “What I mean by that is if we stop getting better, we already stopped being good and it’s something that all Oliver Cromwell once said and it was a very wise slogan.”

    To be fair, Oliver Cromwell (if you mean the guy from the English Civil War) also conducted a spectacularly brutal campaign in Ireland that may well have (between casualties and the diseases that followed) accounted for 40% of the population dying, depending on your sources. So, perhaps not the *perfect* example of a gentleman, even if that is a good line. :)

  26. Your Commentary with your pathetic acquiescence to this nonsense…”metoo” …etc,,,is most unappreciated. I had been considering becoming a customer of your products. I must rethink that decision.

  27. I honestly don’t have a firm opinion on the ad per se, but I think overall it’s had a very positive effect in that we (men and women alike) are engaging in a dialogue on masculinity. As for Gilette itself, I really don’t use their product, and so the ad doesn’t sway me one way or the other as to whether or not I’ll buy it.

  28. Nothing new under the sun
    The problem is with those whose moral compass has been constructed by popular culture which reduces human beings to objects. So long as we have people driven by the trappings of materialism and the satisfaction of the deadly sins, we will have non-gentlemanly (and womanly) behaviors. This is not new. It is as old as time.
    The problem today is with the demagogues who would pretend to hold the solution to a problem that is neither new nor novel.
    Their remedies, (painting all men with the same brush, embracing cultural or sexual or racial bias in promoting people rather than via merit, suggesting that we embrace sexual excess as an inborn right of expression, for both sexes), will solve nothing and liberate no one.
    Men (and women) behaving like the James Bond character is not conducive to respectful treatment of any human being, just as embracing affirmative action will never eliminate favoritism, cronyism, or nepotism in our workplace. These injustices will never disappear, despite the laws correctly put into place to combat them. Selecting a new ubgroup of people (men) to discriminate against will again, solve nothing.
    The concept that what was once acceptable is no longer is disingenuous and ultimately the most damaging to men. Men behaving badly was wrong and immoral two thousand years ago. It is wrong now. Men treating anyone as an object was wrong two thousand years ago. It is wrong now.

  29. Gillette is a Fraud. The razor blades they push on the public are a disgrace.
    Poor design and overpriced . The Double Edge Razor blades outperform
    the junk they sell to the uneducated. Now they enter the Social Engineering
    schemes. Sad!

  30. Just one comment on just what makes a gentleman. You are spot on except for one thing. Clothing does not make one a gentleman. Just like you can’t “judge a book by its cover”, you cannot define a gentleman by the clothes he wears. Just today, a man who dresses well (Alex Baldwin) pled guilty to assault. Surely not the sign of a gentleman. Clothes might “make the man”, but they don’t make the gentleman.

  31. What if men weren’t the target audience of this ad at all? After all its women who make the majority of purchase decisions in a household and I bet the ad company knows that.
    That would explain the jumping on a bandwagon that’s targeting women, the mentioning of only bad things associated with maleness, the “some are not enough” line (implying that only some are good making the majority bad). It’s supposed to make women agree and therefore say “I’ll buy what they’re selling, they want my best”. Most likely in hopes that this will turn around the sales.

    Egard Watches did a very good response ad on that one though. That’s how an ad targeting men should look like!

  32. It’s indicative of the privileged position men have held in the world throughout all history that they can be “offended” at anything aimed at improving their interaction in the world and intending to crack open patriarchy. It’s not all about men individually of course so stop being obtuse all you complainers. You don’t occupy a privileged place any more where you can shut down debate or sway anyone with your threat to withdraw. You read the news. When it gets better you can rant then. I support this conversation and the writer of this piece.

  33. Sven:

    I like your website and your advice. I was mostly draw to your thoughts on what it means to be a gentleman, etiquette, and lastly style, although I do find myself paying more attention to my appearance. I bought some of your Fort Belvedere socks and my kids wrapped them and gave them to me for Christmas.

    The Gillette Ad is controversial because it is political. It’s very difficult to turn on the television or go to a movie without being hectored with a political message. To turn on Fox News or MSNBC one expects to get an earful of politics of a far right or left variety, rarely by experts. But to turn on ESPN, the Grammys, or a late-night comedy show only to get someone’s rehashed political package deal by people who are often ignorant and arogant is just too much. Now to have a consumer products company ad campaign turn political makes me want to just tune it out. Every day I am given reasons to look for alternatives to Nike, YouTube and now Proctor and Gamble, not because their goods and services are poor, but because they claim some superior enlightened position.

    If I were a ballerina, I would let my dancing speak for itself, and vote my political views.

  34. Mr Schneider

    I am, well disappointed, to read this opinion.

    Perhaps a point so subtle that it escapes your notice is criticism, with the essential negativity of its nature, is received reasonably in small doses as constructive commentary, large doses as harassment, giant doses as molestation, and colossal doses as outright hateful attacks.

    Also seemingly escaping your notice is what started as a steady drum beat some two decades ago about revisiting a man of gentle manners, has both crescendoed and accelerandoed into a deafening timpani roll where the ring of one mallet can scarcely be heard to decline before the next one strikes. We passed the latter most category of hateful attacks, now months ago, and yet the war drums beat louder and faster.

    Resounding in every beat is the same message. Male Masculinity *is* bad. Not *can be bad* but *is* bad all built on a false dichotomy of submissive and deferential male vs the tyrannical male.

    Well let me opine on the nature of male masculinity.

    Male aggression is not a bug it is a feature.
    Male domineering is not a bug it is a feature.
    Male competitiveness is not a bug it is a feature.
    Male sexual assertiveness is not a bug it is a feature.

    Male aggression is a gentleman’s ability to risk, sacrifice, with zeal and daring for an ideal beyond himself, for a dreamed future he may never meet.

    Male domineering is a gentleman’s will to build safety and security for the beautiful fragile things he loves around him.

    Male competitiveness is a gentleman’s drive to produce evermore to the highest excellence in all endeavors. Using himself as the measure when competition becomes too soft.

    Male sexual assertiveness is what tells a gentleman’s wife she is *desired* deeply to the root of his being.

    The gentling of the man ***does not separate him from these essential natures*** it bridles them, turning them all to the benefit of family, community, industry, country, God.

    A gentleman understands this, understands this all.

    Today you should have been standing up for what was right about masculinity. Because that’s the constructive part of the discussion that Gillette and so many misandrists deliberately overlook. The gentleman *is* a daring yet prudent businessman, a passionate lover, an accomplished competitive professional, a respected and brave soldier or emergency responder, and he has plenty of room for a rugby jersey next to his suit coat. And these traits aren’t to be bullied out of boys with false dichotomies.

    Today without much lip service to the virtues of masculinity you have picked up your mallet and struck that drum of war against it, along with Gillette. And repeated for the 10,001st time that message about how men and their can be wrong without affirming how it can be so very right, so very needed.

    This ad by the way, is not trying to innocently ‘start a conversation’. It’s trying to stop them. The first time you criticize its about starting a conversation with the hope of improvement the 10,000th time its about something far more malevolent.

    It’s simply about one message repeating over and over dominating ever possible space, the politicization of all things, such that I can’t even buy razors without considering the official opinions of the company that makes them.

    You lost a huge amount of your credibility in my eyes today concerning your qualifications to speak on matters gentlemanly that are deeper or more nuanced than fashionable style. I hope that you receive my criticism in the constructive light it is intended.

    Sincerely,

    Michael.

  35. I didn’t see anything at all to criticize in the ad. I just saw a pretty fair representation of the way that a significant percentage of the male population behaves and directly or indirectly encourages its sons to behave. I have always used Gillette products and they provide me with a decent shave at a decent price. Apparently, the firm also has a social conscience.

  36. If the majority of men weren’t misogynistic slobs with no sense of style, there would be no need for Gentleman’s Gazette. Sven Raphael, like Gillette, has a civilizing mission.

  37. Sven asked: “Do I Think Gillette Did That Because They Genuinely Believe In That?”

    Gillette (Proctor & Gample) are a company and everything they do is designed to make money for shareholders. The type of products the sell, the packaging, the advertising, it all is thought about in great detail by many people in the company and outside (their ad agency). Every single decision is made to sell more product – nothing else.

    The notion that they “believe” something is a mistake. It is all about the dollars, nothing else…

  38. Guilty cosciences.
    Guilty consciences and straw tails all over.
    You people makes me feel embarassed, ruffling you feathers and feeling outraged at an ad that, basically, says “hey, being a man means to behave, to act well and for the common good, to be compassionate, to feel empathy. In short, it means not being an asshole”.
    You may say “I am not like that” as much as you can, but if you feel a sting and this ad makes you angry, well, maybe you still are part of the problem.
    You may dress like gentlemen, but for sure you ain’t.

  39. The Other Simon:
    If Gillette is able to make money by telling the unpleasant truth, so much the better.

      1. The Other Simon:
        Yes, it’s the truth, but hard to accept for many readers of this blog.

  40. The premise of the ad is that MOST men are like those depicted.The truth is, the vast majority of men are respectful, kind,curtious and well mannered.. As a men, I find the ad offensive.
    In the future, Gillette would be well advised to remember who buys most of their products; and it’s not angry members of the “me too” movement.. As for myself, I will look elsewhere from future grooming products..

    1. @Tom Chapeau:
      “The truth is, the vast majority of men are respectful, kind,curtious and well mannered”.
      In an ideal world, that might be the case. I would argue that just the opposite is true.

  41. I do wonder what the next Tide commercial will be like? Only “mens” dirty laundry too?

  42. “I, I, I” this isn’t about you. Nobody is asking you to apologize for simply being a man. This is about men holding men responsible for their and other men’s actions that hurt women specifically. It is about toxic masculinity and how that hurts women AND men.

Comments are closed.