{"id":223,"date":"2019-01-15T17:19:57","date_gmt":"2019-01-15T17:19:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grumpy.marcnobbs.co.uk\/wp\/?p=223"},"modified":"2022-02-08T16:55:43","modified_gmt":"2022-02-08T16:55:43","slug":"all-of-a-shaving-lather","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/2019\/01\/15\/all-of-a-shaving-lather\/","title":{"rendered":"All of a (Shaving) Lather"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Am I offended by the new Gillette advert? No.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
THE BEST A MAN CAN GET?<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Does it really bother me all that much? No.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So why write about it? Well, everyone else seems to have an\nopinion on it, so why not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I saw it on twitter last night, but if you have no idea what\nadvert I mean, you can catch it on YouTube.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=koPmuEyP3a0\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On both platforms there are a lot of people going a bit nuts\nover it. At the time of writing the video has 289K dislikes compared to 53k\nlikes and 77k+ comments, a lot of which are neither negative or taking the\npiss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Honestly, I don\u2019t see what all the fuss is about. The film is a bit\u2026 Meh. Not the sort of thing I\u2019m going to remember in a week and certainly nothing to get upset over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The general disquiet over it seems to be that it\u2019s a bit \u2018liberal\nleftie\u2019, that it\u2019s \u2018virtue signalling\u2019 and pandering to those who don\u2019t buy razors\nby directly attacking those that do (i.e Men). I don\u2019t really see that. But\nmaybe I\u2019m not looking hard enough or trying hard enough to be offended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You see, for me, it\u2019s the reaction this short film has garnered\nthat is the interesting thing \u2013 certainly it\u2019s more interesting that the film.\nThe reaction speaks to the kind of society we are now and, let\u2019s be honest, it\u2019s\nnot a pretty picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let me discuss the film first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t think its core message is very different from the core\nmessage that Gillette has always championed. That of Respect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gillette is a company whose core product area is male\ngrooming. And good grooming has always been more associated with men who are\nrespected \u2013 with Gentlemen, if you like \u2013 that with men who are not respected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or, to put it another, perhaps better way \u2013 a well-groomed man will usually command more respect than a badly groomed man or one who is not groomed at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just look at the way people react differently to the well-groomed Jacob Rees-Mogg compared to the rather less well-groomed Nigel Farage – even though men spout the same vile brand of xenophobic hate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sorry, got a bit Brexity there. Apologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For as long as I can remember, Gillette has used the slogan \u201cThe\nBest a Man Can Get\u201d (complete with catchy jingle that\u2019s now stuck in your head\njust like it is mine), and their ads have featured generations of men being\nrespected because of the fine grooming they receive from Gillette\u2019s blades.\nThere\u2019s also been a strong sense of \u2018generations\u2019 in the advertising \u2013 as if\nthey\u2019re trying to say that good grooming (and the respect that comes with it)\nis passed down from father to son. How many times have you seen an older man\nshaving next to a younger man (or boy) in a Gillette ad?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And is this film\u2019s message really that different? Certainly<\/g> it\u2019s about respect \u2013 about respecting and being respected. And it\u2019s about men teaching the next generation to be better men<\/em>. Okay, there was no real need to namecheck the #metoo movement and the use of the phrase \u201ctoxic masculinity\u201d by a company whose product essentially relies on masculinity for its purpose is probably not the best idea, but really, is there anything wrong with showing a man stepping in to tell another man he\u2019s crossed a line or stopping a fight between two boys?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in the end, like I said at the start, it\u2019s all just a bit\u2026 Meh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reaction though\u2026 Man, the reaction!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve actually got people trying to organise a boycott, not\njust of Gillette products but of other products by the parent company, Proctor\n& Gamble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s insane! It\u2019s a fucking advert for fuck’s sake! Why are you getting so damn upset over it? And what, exactly are you getting upset over? Do you think men shouldn\u2019t <\/em>step up an intervene when friends cross the line or boys are fighting? Really?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It seems to me that this not about the actual content of the advert, but more about the use of the term \u201ctoxic masculinity\u201d and the namecheck of #metoo at the start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think what\u2019s happening is simply that a lot of people who consider themselves to be on \u201cThe Right\u2019 see this as P&G pandering to \u201cThe Left\u201d and they don\u2019t like it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think it’s more that a marketing department is taking a calculated risk that associating themselves with one political position will win it more customers than it loses them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because that’s what this is ultimately about – winning customers and making more money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Right\u201d, of course, is a varied church, but a it\u2019s<\/g> clear that a lot of the people getting outraged by a razor advert are the same people that use terms like \u201cCultural Marxism\u201d and \u201cSnowflake\u201d when talking about \u201cThe Left\u201d and I do find it odd that the very people that accuse their political opponents of being too easily offended (and offended by everything) are themselves so quick to take offence over something so trivial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Honestly, I’m more offended by Willy Boly’s sending off against Man City last night – Never a red card, in my opinion and would only have been a yellow at most had it been one of City’s players on one of ours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sorry, got side-tracked again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where was I? Oh, yes, trivial offence.<\/g><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe it\u2019s me? I implied in an earlier post <\/a>that I think I\u2019m mellowing into my middle-age rather than charging head-first and gammon-faced into it, so maybe this short film should<\/em> worry me or disturb me more than it does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I blame James O’Brien<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But like I said (again)\u2026 Meh. I\u2019ll have forgotten its\ncontent by the end of the week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

It certainly won\u2019t stop me buying and using Gillette razors. I have no particular affinity for them \u2013 I\u2019ve used Wilkinson Sword and Tesco own brand in the past too. And I won\u2019t stop aiming to be the best man I can be and trying to teach my son to be<\/g> the same. He\u2019s thirteen now. And he\u2019s just starting to get a shadow on this top lip. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s quite<\/g> time for him to be scraping it off every day like I have to (except when I choose to let it grow on a semi-regular basis) but he\u2019s not far off. The time will soon be here that I have to buy him that first shaving kit and teach him how to lather up and shave with the grain first and against it afterwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, honestly, I\u2019m dreading that day as much as I\u2019m looking\nforward to it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Am I offended by the new Gillette advert? No. Does it really bother me all that much? No. So why write about it? Well, everyone else seems to have an opinion on it, so why not. I saw it on twitter last night, but if you have no idea what advert I mean, you can catch it on YouTube. On both platforms there are a lot of people going a bit nuts over it. At the time of writing the video has 289K dislikes compared to 53k likes and 77k+ comments, a lot of which are neither negative or taking the piss. Honestly, I don\u2019t see what all the fuss is about. The film is a bit\u2026 Meh. Not the sort of thing I\u2019m going to remember in a week and certainly nothing to get upset over. The general disquiet over it seems to be that it\u2019s a bit \u2018liberal leftie\u2019, that it\u2019s \u2018virtue signalling\u2019 and pandering to those who don\u2019t buy razors by directly attacking those that do (i.e Men). I don\u2019t really see that. But maybe I\u2019m not looking hard enough or trying hard enough to be offended. You see, for me, it\u2019s the reaction this short film has garnered that is the interesting thing \u2013 certainly it\u2019s more interesting that the film. The reaction speaks to the kind of society we are now and, let\u2019s be honest, it\u2019s not a pretty picture. Let me discuss the film first. I don\u2019t think its core message is very different from the core message that Gillette has always championed. That of Respect. Gillette is a company whose core product area is male grooming. And good grooming has always been more associated with men who are respected \u2013 with Gentlemen, if you like \u2013 that with men who are not respected. Or, to put it another, perhaps better way \u2013 a well-groomed man will usually command more respect than a badly groomed man or one who is not groomed at all. Just look at the way people react differently to the well-groomed Jacob Rees-Mogg compared to the rather less well-groomed Nigel Farage – even though men spout the same vile brand of xenophobic hate. Sorry, got a bit Brexity there. Apologies. For as long as I can remember, Gillette has used the slogan \u201cThe Best a Man Can Get\u201d (complete with catchy jingle that\u2019s now stuck in your head just like it is mine), and their ads have featured generations of men being respected because of the fine grooming they receive from Gillette\u2019s blades. There\u2019s also been a strong sense of \u2018generations\u2019 in the advertising \u2013 as if they\u2019re trying to say that good grooming (and the respect that comes with it) is passed down from father to son. How many times have you seen an older man shaving next to a younger man (or boy) in a Gillette ad? And is this film\u2019s message really that different? Certainly it\u2019s about respect \u2013 about respecting and being respected. And it\u2019s about men teaching the next generation to be better men. Okay, there was no real need to namecheck the #metoo movement and the use of the phrase \u201ctoxic masculinity\u201d by a company whose product essentially relies on masculinity for its purpose is probably not the best idea, but really, is there anything wrong with showing a man stepping in to tell another man he\u2019s crossed a line or stopping a fight between two boys? But in the end, like I said at the start, it\u2019s all just a bit\u2026 Meh. The reaction though\u2026 Man, the reaction! We\u2019ve actually got people trying to organise a boycott, not just of Gillette products but of other products by the parent company, Proctor & Gamble. That\u2019s insane! It\u2019s a fucking advert for fuck’s sake! Why are you getting so damn upset over it? And what, exactly are you getting upset over? Do you think men shouldn\u2019t step up an intervene when friends cross the line or boys are fighting? Really? It seems to me that this not about the actual content of the advert, but more about the use of the term \u201ctoxic masculinity\u201d and the namecheck of #metoo at the start. I think what\u2019s happening is simply that a lot of people who consider themselves to be on \u201cThe Right\u2019 see this as P&G pandering to \u201cThe Left\u201d and they don\u2019t like it. I think it’s more that a marketing department is taking a calculated risk that associating themselves with one political position will win it more customers than it loses them. Because that’s what this is ultimately about – winning customers and making more money. \u201cThe Right\u201d, of course, is a varied church, but a it\u2019s clear that a lot of the people getting outraged by a razor advert are the same people that use terms like \u201cCultural Marxism\u201d and \u201cSnowflake\u201d when talking about \u201cThe Left\u201d and I do find it odd that the very people that accuse their political opponents of being too easily offended (and offended by everything) are themselves so quick to take offence over something so trivial. Honestly, I’m more offended by Willy Boly’s sending off against Man City last night – Never a red card, in my opinion and would only have been a yellow at most had it been one of City’s players on one of ours. Sorry, got side-tracked again. Where was I? Oh, yes, trivial offence. Maybe it\u2019s me? I implied in an earlier post that I think I\u2019m mellowing into my middle-age rather than charging head-first and gammon-faced into it, so maybe this short film should worry me or disturb me more than it does. I blame James O’Brien. But like I said (again)\u2026 Meh. I\u2019ll have forgotten its content by the end of the week. It certainly won\u2019t stop me buying and using Gillette razors. I have no particular affinity for them \u2013 I\u2019ve used Wilkinson Sword and Tesco own brand in the past too. And I won\u2019t stop aiming to be<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":224,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Am I offended by the new Gillette advert? No. But everyone else is writing about it so why not me?","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[58,59,60,10],"tags":[69,95,112,115,118],"class_list":["post-223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-58","category-grumpy","category-in-the-news","category-politics","tag-adverts","tag-gillette","tag-offended","tag-razors","tag-shaving"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Gillette-This-We-Believe-The-Best-A-Man-Can-Get.jpg?fit=500%2C356&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":94,"url":"https:\/\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/2015\/01\/19\/what-freedom-of-speech-means-to-me\/","url_meta":{"origin":223,"position":0},"title":"What \u201cFreedom of Speech\u201d Means to Me","author":"Mark Everitt","date":"19 January 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Those of you who know me know that I\u2019m not reactionary by nature. I may have a fiery temper, but I\u2019ve learned to keep it pretty much in check. 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Looking at posts from 2007\/2008 there was a lot of comment on current\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2013"","block_context":{"text":"2013","link":"https:\/\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/category\/2013\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":166,"url":"https:\/\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/2016\/11\/09\/a-message-to-the-people-of-the-usa\/","url_meta":{"origin":223,"position":3},"title":"A Message to the People of the USA","author":"Mark Everitt","date":"9 November 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019d like to say something to the folks across the pond who are feeling the kind of shock, disappointment and, yes, even anger, that I felt on the morning of June 24th. Democracy sucks. It\u2019s a flawed system and sometimes you don\u2019t get the result you want or expect. But\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2016"","block_context":{"text":"2016","link":"https:\/\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/category\/2016\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Post-6.jpg?fit=800%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Post-6.jpg?fit=800%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Post-6.jpg?fit=800%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Post-6.jpg?fit=800%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":481,"url":"https:\/\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/2010\/11\/03\/bbc-phil-mcnulty-brilliant-bale-has-world-at-his-feet\/","url_meta":{"origin":223,"position":4},"title":"BBC – Phil McNulty: Brilliant Bale has world at his feet","author":"Mark Everitt","date":"3 November 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"I don't usually agree with McNulty - in fact, I don't know why I bother to read him - but I do agree with this. Gareth Bale was fantastic last night. Shame he can play for England, we could use someone like hi. BBC - Phil McNulty: Brilliant Bale has\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2010"","block_context":{"text":"2010","link":"https:\/\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/category\/2010\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/grumpy.jpg?fit=300%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":57,"url":"https:\/\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/2014\/07\/25\/summers-here\/","url_meta":{"origin":223,"position":5},"title":"Summer’s Here","author":"Mark Everitt","date":"25 July 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"It has, to put it mildly, been freaking hot in the UK the past week or so. I mean, seriously hot. We're not used to it here. We're used to grey skies and drizzle. 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