Almost half of men still say they fell unable to share their feelings because of their gender.
his emotive video shows seven men talking about the constant battle they face when it comes to masculinity.
A study of 1,000 men, commissioned by Gillette and conducted via OnePoll.com, found two thirds (67 per cent) agree man’s role in society has changed, yet 45 per cent still say they have felt unable to share their feelings because of their gender.
And over one in five (23 per cent) still feel pressure to be a ‘man’s man’.
The short film, released by Gillette in association with Southbank Centre’s Being A Man Festival (24-26 November 2017), interviews British men of today, asking for their views on masculinity, what it means to them and how they see the future of being a man progressing.
Jack Rooke, award-winning comedian said: “This campaign is cool because it is about getting a whole host of different men from a whole host of different backgrounds and cultures and sexualities, to just say, “hey, there isn’t just the one type of guy who you see in every film and every sort of cultural exploration of what being a man is.””
Nick Makoha, poet said: “I struggle with being a man. How do you look yourself in the mirror and be comfortable with the face that stares back at you?”
Anthony Anaxagorou, writer and educator said: ““I often see with young guys, who are not really given permission to express their vulnerable side.”
Gillette has accompanied this with a new advertising campaign, using portraits of multiple British men to form a single male face; demonstrating that the brand understands the man of today, and has a product portfolio to meet the needs of all these men.
“Gillette has been an expert in men for over 100 years, understanding their needs and designing products to meet these. This is even more important today, meaning that we meet with over 80 men every single day, at our Global R&D headquarters in Reading, UK to grow our understanding of their needs.
“It’s crucial that we continue to listen to the men, so we can continue to develop the best product for them and develop as a brand to stay relevant to them. The campaign, including both the advertising and film showcases the diverse nature of masculinity we see in the UK – and since British men don’t have one face, we do not have one razor.
“We are proud to be working with Being a Man festival, as well as continuing our longstanding partnership with Movember, as together we address the challenges and pressures of masculinity in the 21st Century today – something that is important to us as a brand as we look to celebrate and cater for all men.
“The research results found over one third (35%) of men will grow in confidence when carrying out a grooming regime and we want men to feel comfortable about this.”
Ted Hodgkinson, Southbank Centre’s Senior Programmer, Literature and Spoken Word, said: “We are pleased to be working with Gillette on this year’s festival. These findings lay bare the weighty expectations of masculinity that many of us still struggle to shake off and highlight the need for more spaces like Being a Man festival, where men can share their stories openly and challenge outdated assumptions, rather than bottling up feelings which, as men, we know can have more serious consequences.”
An extended version of the film will be showcased at Being A Man Festival taking place at Southbank Centre between the 24 and 26 of November.
Tickets for Southbank Centre’s BAM- Being A Man festival are on sale here: southbankcentre.co.uk/beingaman
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