Ad Exec Behind Gillette Ad Is a Radical Feminist

In recent days, many online essays have rightly ripped apart Gillette's ugly new "We Believe" advertisement. One online critic dubbed it "feel-bad liberalism." 

Carpentered by Grey Advertising for Proctor and Gamble's razors company, it does not detail product attributes, encourage brand loyalty, instill warm feelings in buyers, or even show basic respect for consumers. 

Instead, the grimly lecturing spot declares masculinity itself toxic, a peril to decent society. "Is this the best a man can get? Is it?" asks the painfully serious narrator, as a wrongdoing slideshow passes by. 

"We can't hide from it. It's been going on far too long. We can't laugh it off, making the same old excuses." 

"I guess the guy at the ad agency missed the lesson about not taking a dump on the people you want to buy your stuff," cracked comedian Steven Crowder. 

"The guy at the ad agency" is actually philosophically unpleasant feminist Kim Gehrig. Hiring her to court the male market is like expecting to accrue impressive rainbow flag sale numbers with spiels from Farrakhan. 

Jezebel reported an email message Gehrig sent CNBC: "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." 

She'd previously made the bizarre "Viva La Vulva" spot for Swedish feminine hygiene company Libresse. In that surreal ad, objects that included a conch shell, sliced orange, papaya, and coin purse stood in as ersatz female intimate parts. For the ad's nearly three-minute duration, these items were manipulated as unnatural "singers" of Camille Yarbrough's "Take Yo Praise." 

Gehrig's new Gillette effort states her bias boldly by intercutting allusions to abusive acts with images of romantic heterosexuality. A black-and-white cartoon scene that flashes past shows men whistling at a woman. 

In another scant bit, a guy sees a pretty female pedestrian. He steps after her but is restrained by a companion. "Not cool," the restrainer admonishes. 

Expressions of attraction and related pursuits are natural. They lead to humans reproducing – which is how Gehrig got here, though she might be horrified to learn that.

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