The story of King Camp Gillette is legendary in the annals of engineering.
There were several inventors working on razors that were an alternative to the straight razor. King Camp Gillette’s design and means of production dominated the market. His method of using blanked and ground strip steel, as opposed to forged blades reduced the cost of his blades considerably and he won a goverment contract to provide razors to our troops in WWI, as the use of gas masks made a clean shave necessary.
Over a century later, the owners of Gillette put the company’s name in the annals of worst corporate ads ever developed.
Feast your eyes:
A product developed and marketed for men decided to attack a strawman caricature of men as violent, sexual predatory, condescending assholes in need of reforming.
The statement “boys will be boys” is not an excuse for bullying or sexual assault, as the commercial suggests. It is an excuse for why boys laugh at fart jokes that make moms cringe, and damnit, you are not taking fart jokes away from us.
Gillette still references the #MeToo movement after that blew out as fast as it blew in when it transmogrified from taking out some really disgusting sexual predators in Hollywood to a witch hunt that destroyed innocent lives over false and spurious accusations.
The Kavanaugh hearing was the death knell for #MeToo, where the hard line of the Social Justice crowd demonstrated that they didn’t care that allegations could be provably false, they still wanted blood.
The reaction to an ad assuming men are rapists and bullies unless they are rehabilitated by some corporate initiative has been overwhelmingly negative.
“Buy our razors so you will stop being an ass-grabbing, bigoted, mansplainer” isn’t really a message that motivates men to separate themselves from their money for your product.
Especially with a product that has so much competition and isn’t a lifestyle brand.
I wonder if heads are going to roll at the P&G board room that thought this was a good idea.
If I were the owner of Dollar Shave Club, I’d have to send P&G’s advertising department a fruit basket.
I have never been so glad that I am bearded as I am today.
Unreal. One wonders if Gillette is urging men to cut off parts other than their beards.
[…] reading J. Kb’s great post, I had to add something that has been going around in my mind for a while […]
I stopped buying their extremely overpriced razor blades a few years ago and went old school with a traditional safety razor (https://tinyurl.com/yadayzol). Best decision I’ve made since cutting the TV cable cord.
All these preachy companies should stick to making a good & affordable product. I didn’t ask for nor need to hear their idiotic progtard PC opinions.
Gillette just lost another customer.
The only bad part about having a beard with all of this is now I can’t stop buying a product I didn’t get in the first place.
Same here – I think I used a disposable razor once when I was in high school. The rest of the time I’ve used electric or had a beard.
I love his comment about Dollar Shave!
They could be doubly screwed, they have alienated their male market, and won’t make it up with women’s product because shaving legs is a tool of the patriarchy.
One interpretation:
“If my beard were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.”
I get my blades from Harry’s. They last longer, cost less and come to my door every other month. I got a Fusion razor for Christmas once and used it. Was fine for the first 2 shaves, then more pulled than cut. I would have never recommended it before this, now I certainly will not.
FYI: Harry’s went woke before Gillette over a year ago
https://twitchy.com/sarahd-313035/2019/01/15/oh-no-not-you-too-look-who-beat-gillette-to-the-hairy-man-shaming-punch-video/
Damn, and they were really good blades. Guess its time for dollar shave club or whatever its called.