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The Mask You Live In/Twitter

Gillette ad showing a dad teaching his trans son how to shave has the internet in tears

'My transgender son and I watched this together.'

 

Samira Sadeque

IRL

Posted on May 26, 2019   Updated on May 20, 2021, 11:49 am CDT

Gillette has become a pioneer in reimagining and redefining masculinity. In its latest move, the company dropped an ad showing a father teaching his transgender son how to shave. 

“I always knew I was different, I didn’t know that there was a term for the type of person that I was,” says the boy, identified as Samson Brown by Gay Star News, at the beginning of the video. “I went into my transition just wanting to be happy.”

The ad shows the father, who admiringly looks at his son, directing him as he puts a razor to his cheeks.

“Now, don’t be scared,” the father says. “Shaving is about being confident.”

The ad–which dropped on Thursday–gave people all sorts of feels, especially among the Black trans community.

https://twitter.com/gabalexa/status/1132687490517745664

In response to a comment on its Facebook post, Gillette gave the reasoning for its new focus on masculinity.

“We’re taking steps to be more inclusive with how gender is represented in our marketing,” the brand wrote. 

https://twitter.com/OscarHokeah/status/1132402345902403585

Many applauded Gillette for taking such a strong, inclusive stance–even if it’s a marketing strategy.

https://twitter.com/AkelaCooper/status/1132360375792312321

https://twitter.com/urbanhymnal/status/1132687571564343296

This ad is especially important right now, given that three Black trans women were recently murdered. The Trump administration also moved to end a policy that prohibits healthcare discrimination based on one’s gender identity–which poses a massive threat to the healthcare of the trans community.

It also proved to be an important moment for parents and their trans children. 

“My transgender son and I watched this together,” a Facebook user wrote. “He can’t wait to learn how to shave, once he grows facial hair. Thank you for being part of the social conversation. This brings me happy tears!”

Earlier this year, Gillette released an ad about toxic masculinity, highlighting the need for our society to rethink the “boys will be boys” narrative. It drew tantrums from some cis men–which is probably a good indication that Gillette was doing something right.

This ad has also received some backlash in the form of homophobic comments on Twitter, but for the most part, people are simply celebrating the visibility of trans children.

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H/T Gay Star News 

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*First Published: May 26, 2019, 4:34 pm CDT