If you have been reading my blog over the past month or so you will know that Seth Godin’s podcast Akimbo is top on my listening list. You might be tiring of me mentioning it.
In Akimbo, Seth explores our culture, marketing and influence. It is not like the other podcasts about marketing. A huge part of what attracted me to his message is his encouragement of people to seek meaningful connections and ask the most difficult questions.
This brings to bear the one day old marketing campaign of Gillette. The critiques to their pre-SuperBowl ad “We Believe” are wide ranging. A Vox headline explores, “Why Gillette’s toxic masculinity ad is annoying both sexists and feminists.”
I decided to share this video with you today for a couple of reasons. Firstly, when I first watched it, it brought tears to my eyes. Because, the issues this ad addresses is the script running in the background of my entire life. As a boy. As a teenager. And, as a man.
Seth often reminds us in his podcast, that “people like us do things like this.” It is a statement about this culture we live in. And, a potential way forward to change a culture. That is the second reason why I share this video today. Because, until we change the script, until people like us to things like that, the status quo remains.
I expect the full range of responses. And, that is the point.
Just know the issues raised in this video are ones I have personally struggled with. It has been both the good and the bad. But, it is that struggle that will hopefully help me be a better son, brother, uncle, partner, father, friend, employer and man.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koPmuEyP3a0[/embedyt]
Thanks for sharing and for continuously helping create a better world, Adam.
Hey Adam, my 12 year old son had some amazing responses to this ad. We don’t have tv, but watched on line. He hates branding and the power of the media to mass influence, but he liked the message. at first. and for the most part. he then got thinking, wondering what it meant for a shaving blade company to talk about ridding toxic masculinity…by shaving. he wondered if that was at all a subliminal message. because if it was, he doesn’t like it. because facial hair, and all body hair, is natural. we have a 15 year old daughter and body hair and the messaging out there about body hair is relevant. and my kids are finding it disturbing. for instance, amongst 20 somethings it seems that the fad is the shave all body hair, everywhere, both cisgenders (can’t speak for the other three genders!). we have talked about how this impacts societies acceptance of hair and hairy, armpits and back hair etc etc, and that there is a purge on what presents as wild and natural in our culture, a pressure to primp according to socially acceptable standards, and my 12 year old son hopes that whatever masculine culture evolves out of this movement that the human body will be embraced, in all its shapes and sizes and hairyness (or not)…and choices….and not shamed. he isn’t hairy yet, but he does wear long hair, and has experienced what it is to walk in this world as a boy with long hair, good and bad. so, and he wonders what new uniform, if any, might end up subtly going along with this emerging culture of masculinity, if it will get messed up by the same old pressures to conform, or if it will be able to withstand that. all this to say, my 12 year old son likes the surface message a lot, and is even willing to let the branding slide, but he is not willing to trust this culture yet, to let himself believe that the messaging stops there, or to let the conversation about the messaging stops there, and is vigilant to hold to task those behind the messaging and those who promote the messaging to always look deep, ask questions, and expect and act for better, when and where it can be better, even when they are saying pretty cool sounding stuff. thanks for the conversation!!
I am so thankful you sharing these insights. It is exactly the kind of discussions I hope that we continue to have. My children encourage me everyday by their wisdom and thoughtfulness!