Respectfully, Thomas, the Gillette ad was not “hurling accusations.” It was asking men who see other men being disrespectful to women to step up and say something. It was asking men to stop reinforcing harmful male stereotypes with other men. Yes, I know plenty of kind men as well. But it’s still difficult to stand up to your peers when they say and do things that are wrong. Lots of people still won’t stand up to open bigotry. The fact that so many women still die at the hands of their intimate partners, and are raped and harassed every year, shows that we as a society need to do more, and there’s only so much women can do. It’s time for men to be more aware and do more.

Women on the other hand have been the target of ads for hundreds of years telling us how to be better mothers and wives. Telling us to lose weight, be prettier, get rid of cellulite, eat healthier, exercise, have better hair, have a shinier kitchen floor etc., etc., etc.

The Gillette ad was asking. Suggesting. The fact that so many men took it as a personal insult is also revealing of how far we have to go.