The Outcry Over The New Gillette Advert Reveals Who The Real ‘Snowflakes’ Are

When a television commercial promoting basic human decency ignites a global controversy, it says more about those who are offended than it does about the ad’s content

A new controversy has been stirring online. This time, it’s over a recent advert by Gillette, which takes a stab at toxic masculine culture with the updated logo “We Believe: The Best Men Can Be”. Refusing to follow the standard formula of selling male body or other cosmetic products under the pretence of “alluring women”, the commercial instead focuses on the aim of men improving themselves, touching on various themes such as the #MeToo movement and childhood bullying. Upon its release, the furore has been palpable — from a roughly two-to-one dislike ratio on YouTube, to television commentators such as Piers Morgan heralding it a “war on masculinity”. Boycotts have even been called on social media: “I will never use [Gillette] again, and neither will my father, collectively been your customers for 50+ years,” one particularly disgruntled Twitter user openly declares in a tweet with over 2,000 likes. Such an impassioned reaction could make you think of the most controversial advert imaginable, but upon finally watching the short film myself…