Gillette advert creates resentment between men and women, says Esther Rantzen

Esther Rantzen has criticised the controversial new advert from Gillette, accusing it of pitting women and men against each other.

The razor manufacturer has hit headlines for the ad, updating its renowned slogan ‘the best a man can get’ for ‘the best men can be’.

In the light of movements like #MeToo and #TimesUp, the clip, released online, criticises the decision to play down bad male behaviour with phrases like ‘boys will be boys’, and calls for more responsibility and action.

It also hopes to challenge ‘toxic’ male stereotypes, and to target behaviour like bullying and sexual harassment.

“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,” said the company in a statement.

But Childline founder Rantzen said in a letter to The Times that ‘adverts such as Gillette’s set men and women against each other and create resentment’.

Adding that girls can be ‘equally unpleasant’ as boys, she says that while it’s true ‘that in some countries men have created regimes that repress women and use sexual violence against them, but to bring about the changes for the creation of equal societies we need strong, empowered men and women to work together’.

In addition to the ad, Gillette has pledged to donate $1 million (around £776,000) per year for the next three years to non-profit organisations that carry out programs which ‘help men become role models’.

A spokesperson for the company told CNBC: “We expected debate — discussion is necessary. For every negative reaction we’ve seen many positive reactions, people calling the effort courageous, timely, smart, and much-needed.

“At the end of the day, sparking conversation is what matters. This gets people to pay attention to the topic and encourages them to consider taking action to make a difference.”

In a rant on Good Morning Britain, Piers Morgan showed himself as one of the ad’s detractors, calling it ‘virtue-signalling PC guff’.

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