Twitter destroys Gillette's #TheBestManCanBe

It took about 48 hours for the Twitterverse to destroy Gillette's idea of a modern man in the new ad campaign, #TheBestManCanBe. Here's everything you need to know about today's trending issue

The new advertisement video by Gillette not only attacks the idea of masculinity witnessed by people at large but also propagated by them over the years. It begins with a bunch of kids breaking through a screen where a man is being kissed on the cheeks, a glimpse of an old advertisement by the brand. It further goes on to discuss issues like sexual harassment and how men need to hold their peers accountable.

The advertisement has almost 19 million views on Twitter and over 10 million on YouTube. What's interesting is that while the video has been liked by about 227K people, it has been disliked by an overwhelming 593K Youtube users! On Twitter as well, the idea has been figuratively destroyed by people, who are threatening to boycott the brand for painting all men with the same brush.

The advertisement comes in the wake of the #MeToo movement where women across the globe had come forward to share their experiences of being sexually harassed in various walks of life. It brought about a sense of awakening for people at large to acknowledge the toxic roots of such incidents, at least in the world of social media. Now, weeks later, Twitter seems to be stuck in limbo.

Real men boycott Gillette. I will never by a Gillette razor again.

— Burton Vigil (@Burton74939379) January 15, 2019

I’m going to boycott Gillette’s products from now on.
How bloody dare they!
Isn’t it enough White Men are attacked in Every Media?
Give me a break. #BoycottGillette

— Patrick Troughton (@BestDrWho) January 16, 2019

Smash Gillette. #BoycottGillette pic.twitter.com/rh4sxMLumP

— Phil Sayles (@phil_sayles) January 15, 2019

So @Gillette, what feminist marketing genius told you to degenerate 90% of your customer base??? #BoycottGillete #gowokegobroke

— Brooke & Hannah (@BrookeOBX) January 16, 2019

Feelings were surely hurt, with some users sharing their memories of being judged harshly because of their gender.

.. was forced to sit through a presentation that said ALL boys were rapists. No, i refuse to accept guilt for the supposed crime of being male. If you don't see the problem then you are as misogynist as your club claims I am.

— JustSomeGuyTN (@justsomeguytn) January 16, 2019

However, there are plenty of people taking the brand's side for a refreshing take on masculinity, supporting the campaign wholeheartedly.

I was ready to boycott until I watched the ad. I think being a gentleman and protecting those who can’t protect themselves is a very masculine thing to do. Kudos to you Gillette.

— Penny Flipping (@FlippingPenny) January 16, 2019

Some even called out the double standards at play.

Ads for women: Be thin, be thick, love your body, your boobs look bigger in this, dye your hair, embrace your grays, these pants are slimming, be feminine, wear makeup, look natural, hide your age...

Women: K.

Gillette: Men should be less shitty.

Men: Don’t tell us what to do!

— The Volatile Mermaid (@OhNoSheTwitnt) January 15, 2019

Don’t think it’s the content of the advert, more the hypocrisy of Gillette... decades telling men to be manly men etc... now all of a sudden being very PC...

— Phil Wright ? (@philipdwright) January 16, 2019

In conclusion, giving too much importance to a brand's advertisement campaign is probably too much work.

Let me rephrase:
Some men are shit, regardless of whether they shave or not, use Gillette or not. The rest of us acknowledge we can do better by being better men.

— Vincent L (@lhommedev) January 16, 2019