Gillette released an ad encouraging men to do better in the #Me Too era. Naturally...not everyone is down with it.
On the company’s website, Gillette shared an additional statement about the slogan and its decision to make a statement amid the #MeToo movement.
Acknowledging that its slogan originally began as an “inspirational statement, reflecting standards that many men strive to achieve,” the company explained that things have changed as of late and it intends on challenging the norm of expected male behavior.
The company also revealed that it would be donating $1 million per year for the next three years to non-profit organizations aimed at bettering men of all ages.
“We’re inviting all men along this journey with us – to strive to be better, to make us better, and to help each other be better,” the company said in a statement.
Despite its efforts, not everyone was impressed with the progressive move — with many social media users criticizing the company for its depiction of men, calling the company “anti-men” and “insulting.”
"Hey let’s tell 99% of our customer base that they are the worst people ever and they’ve been horrible people forever and they need to change and we don’t want them as customers unless they change. Great idea!” wrote one user.
“Way to imply men are horrid inhuman beings,” added another person. “You literally said all men are baseless animals on the actions of less than one percent of the population”
“Well I guess after 34 years of being a Gillette user it’s time to shop for a new brand of razor,” someone else said. “I taught my son to shave with a Gillette razor but he pointed this video out to me and ask if we could buy a different brand.”
A #BoycottGillette hashtag was even started on Twitter, while 128,000 users on YouTube disliked the commercial (in comparison to the 13,000 users who liked it.)