Gillette's new advert on toxic masculinity is 'hypocritical', even if it does raise some important issues, says the former Moderator of the Free Church of Scotland.
The 'We Believe' advert went viral after being launched by Gillette this week and has since been viewed 16 million times.
The advert is 1 minute 49 seconds long and offers the brand's vision for manhood in light of the #MeToo movement. It includes a noticeable change to its famous slogan, from 'the best a man can get' to 'the best men can be'.
It has been blasted by some, including Good Morning Britain presenter Piers Morgan who called it 'man-hating' and 'absurd virtue-signalling PC guff'.
Bernice King, the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King, welcomed the ad, saying that it 'isn't anti-male' but rather 'pro-humanity'.
The Rev David Robertson weighed in on the debate on his blog, writing that the advert was in many ways 'excellent'.
'There is a view of masculinity which is harmful and needs to be challenged. I think that the advert does that well. It's far too easy to dismiss it as 'woke' advertising, virtue signalling and toxic anti-masculinity,' he said.
'The themes of misogyny, bullying and sexual misconduct are serious and should not be lightly dismissed. In fact they should not be dismissed at all.'
Despite this, he said Gillette was 'hypocritical' as its parent company Proctor and Gamble has in the past faced accusations of profiting from child labor and animal testing.
'They exploit people and then exploit our emotions in order to make money,' he said.
'The fact that they are now exploiting the MeToo movement should not be a cause of celebration. Greed is more of a problem in society than "toxic masculinity".'
He was critical of the label 'toxic masculinity', referring to new guidelines from the American Psychological Association describing 'traditional masculinity' as 'harmful' to men and boys.
'The trend at the moment in Woke society is to claim that "toxic masculinity" is really the major cause of all our woes,' he said.
He continued: 'The trouble is that a society which emasculates its men will end up being replaced by a society that doesn't.
'This does not mean that real men need to grow beards, paint themselves in woad and go out to fight. It does mean that we are to recognise and celebrate both masculinity and femininity.'
