WATCH: People Are Calling For A Gillette Boycott Over Their Controversial New Ad

Kiara Keane

Gillette has landed itself in trouble after releasing its new #MeToo-inspired ad aimed at highlighting toxic masculinity.

In the new ad, the brand has changed its famous “The best a man can get” tagline that’s been in place for 30 years now, instead asking, “Is this the best a man can get?”

It features clips of various news reports on the #MeToo movement along with images of sexism in films and clips of men calling out other men for saying sexually inappropriate things to women.

A voiceover says, “Bullying, the MeToo movement against sexual harassment, toxic masculinity, is this the best a man can get?

“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.”

It’s had people seriously divided since its release – some have praised its intention of highlighting toxic masculinity.

Others have said it’s offensive and suggests all men are sexual harassers, with many even calling for a boycott of Gillette’s products.

It currently has 25,000 likes compared with a massive 221,000 dislikes on YouTube.

That Gillette ad is brilliant. Watch the outrage flow from the sort of people who decry outrage at all corners.

— Richard Chambers (@newschambers) January 15, 2019

Gillette commercial seems to be doing exactly what it set out to, get everyone talking about Gillette. Very sceptical about the sincerity of the so called “message” their dishing up. #gillette #boyswillbeboys

— Keith Doyle (@keithdoyle14) January 15, 2019

Thank you @Gillette , for standing out for us and saying what I as a common person cannot spread out as well as a big company. The impact this ad is causing is due to people’s blindness in relation to this subject, no one talks about this issue yet. But times are changing 🙂 https://t.co/5fU5fUloup

— Caroline Varella (@translations_cv) January 15, 2019

Gillette also released a statement on their website that reads, “It’s time we acknowledge that brands, like ours, play a role in influencing culture. And as a company that encourages men to be their best, we have a responsibility to make sure we are promoting positive, attainable, inclusive and healthy versions of what it means to be a man.

They added, “From today on, we pledge to actively challenge the stereotypes and expectations of what it means to be a man everywhere you see Gillette. In the ads we run, the images we publish to social media, the words we choose, and so much more.”

The brand, which is owned by Procter & Gamble, has also pledged to donate “$1 million per year for the next three years to non-profit organisations executing programs in the United States designed to inspire, educate and help men of all ages achieve their personal ‘best’ and become role models for the next generation”.

You can watch the ad for yourself here: