Gillette Advertisment "The Best Man Can Be"

Gillette’s “The Best Man Can Be” advertisement is a critical advertisement attacking and targeting well-known historical conventions towards both men and women. The advertisement is targeting adult men and the appeal to guidance. This is because the entirety of the advertisement revolves around the theme of calling on men in society to be better and set an example for the next generation, as such an appeal for guidance from men to the younger generation is created. Additionally, a lot of children can be seen in this advertisement evoking the appeal even more. The advertisement comments on historical norms and gender roles in three areas that men need to improve in: undermining women, bullying, and toxic masculinity. Sexuality and Undermining of women in society and media. The examples the advertisement uses is the cliché sitcom where a man is groping a woman in surprise while the audience laughs from the action. This is a direct criticism by the creators at the historical norms and role of women in media as sexualized and objectified, while commenting on how the general masses (more directed towards men) take this as normal and humorous as the ad implies. The other example used is the man in the office touching and speaking over the women in the office saying, “What I actually think she’s trying to say”. This example to commenting on the inferiority and the gender roles that women face in workplaces, and like the overall theme is showing and asking men to be better and to progress from the old societal norms that were practiced. The advertisement effectively criticizes the historical gender roles of society with reference to organizations like the “me-too” movement as a way of change. The advertisement comments on “male toxicity” the mindset that male actions are: violent, emotionless etc. This is shown through the example of two children are wrestling each other while adults look on unmoved claiming “boys will be boys”. Gillette is targeting the gender stereotype that all men are violent and that they should all take pain. Additionally, it is giving us an observation of how we should be teaching and influencing children and the next generation. Lastly the ad comments on men and the implications of bullying. The advertisement suggests that an improvement men need to administer is bullying. Multiple examples throughout the advertisement show that bullying is destroying children’s lives and boys are constantly on the run from bullying, as seen by the boy being chased down by a herd of bullies.