Gillette puts the spotlight on toxic masculinity in sport in ad with Raheem Sterling

Gillette continues to address the topic of toxic masculinity in its advertising, this time with a spot out of Saatchi & Saatchi London that takes a look at the role it plays in sport. The spot, running globally with the exception of North America, stars Raheem Sterling, the U.K. Premier League soccer player who has been outspoken on the topic of race (and recently appeared in a Nike campaign vocalizing some of his views.) It starts with the Manchester City player shaving in front of the mirror, telling us "if someone asks you what you're made of, don't just tell them – show them." Vignettes show a younger player break up a fight on the soccer field while one player reaches out to another after a game. The film finishes with an image of Sterling hand in hand with a young mascot before walking out onto the pitch, telling viewers "when you show the best of yourself, you don’t just play the game, you change it." Gillette launched its campaign looking at toxic masculinity a year ago, with a spot directed by Kim Gehrig that touched on the #MeToo issue by asking "Is this the best a man can get?" and attracted some controversy. The new ad was directed by director DZ (aka Daisy Zhou) at Great Guns, who comments in a statement: “It’s a special opportunity to be part of an ongoing conversation of what masculinity means, and what it can represent in a changing culture. Following on from the previous campaign, I wanted to focus specifically on the power of showing the best of yourself in a difficult scenario – and the effect this power can have on people, especially the younger generation."

Gillette puts the spotlight on toxic masculinity in sport in ad with Raheem Sterling

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