Gillette Venus Pubic Hair Trimmer Ad the Cranky Creative Review

Yes, the Gillette Venus Pubic Hair and Skin razor ad goes (down) there

Would you ever knock on a stranger’s door and, upon being allowed to enter, strip down and start shaving your pubes?

That’s precisely what Gillette and model Nicole R. Rasenti have done in this new TV commercial for the Venus for Pubic Hair and Skin razor.

“Finally, pubic hair and skin is [sic] getting the attention it deserves,” says Gillette.

What the company and its agency, BBDO Worldwide, fail to appreciate is that not everyone is going to enjoy a full-on closeup of a stubbly crotch as they sit down to dinner.

TMI: “Course Hair,” a 15-second commercial for Gillette’s Venus for Pubic Hair and Skin razor.

I’m not even going to discuss whether I like this ad or if I think it’s effective. Those things are subjective. What is not subjective is that this ad is shown on TV at all hours of the day — morning, afternoon and night.

You may also like: Let’s talk about forced diversity in TV commercials

Not suitable for all audiences

In case you missed it, the ad literally shows a closeup of a woman’s crotch while talking about shaving pubic hair.

I’m no prude, but honestly, it’s a bit much.

What’s next? Shall we have equally explicit ads for toilet paper? Tampons? Menstrual pads? Viagra?

No. We do not need to see live demonstrations of these products in our living rooms.

Advertisers, as our uninvited guests, have a responsibility to know better — and to behave better.

(Edit: And to all of you Wizards of Smart who disagreed with me in the comments section, consider this: Google has now dinged me and limited my ad revenue for this page due to what it calls “unsafe sexual content.” How ironic that I am penalized for speaking out about the “unsafe sexual content” of this commercial while Gillette is free to continue running its ad whenever it pleases.)


As famed former ad critic Bob Garfield pointed out in his book, And Now a Few Words from Me …:

“. . . Commercials are not programming. Nobody has chosen to see one. TV spots simply appear, and in exchange for viewer indulgence advertisers owe a measure of restraint and respect for the sensitivities of everyone in the room. Not just the target. Everyone. This is advertisers’ unspoken compact with viewers. This has always been the compact.”

With this ad for Venus, Gillette has broken that compact.

You may remember how rigorously I defended the “trimming bushes” ad for Schick’s Hydro Silk TrimStyle razor — also a product for women who shave down there. That ad too drew plenty of criticism, but to the best of my knowledge, it only aired after prime-time viewing hours or during shows intended for mature audiences.

(Not to mention, the ad employed a clever visual metaphor to show how the product works — and compared to this Gillette ad, it was positively adorable.)

Garfield is right. Television is a mass medium, and advertisers have a responsibility to ensure that their work is appropriate for all audiences to whom it is shown.

“Advertising is a shotgun, not a rifle. When it fires, anything near the target is caught in the spray.” — Bob Garfield

Below: A far superior UK ad for a similar Gillette product, the modestly-named Venus Bikini Precision Trimmer:

“Bu- bu- but pubic hair speaks to women’s truth”

Of course, some online are cheering this commercial for “telling real women’s stories” and “celebrating positive body images”:

Gillette Venus Pubic Hair and Skin commercial YouTube comments

Gillette Venus Pubic Hair and Skin commercial YouTube comments

I call huge bullshit on all of that.

If you are someone who thinks Gillette created this ad because it is a champion of women, allow me to disabuse you of such illusions.

Gillette did not create this ad to empower anyone. It created this ad to sell razors.

The “brave” strategy at work here is simply for shock value. By pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable in national TV advertising, Gillette and its ad agency have ensured that more people will talk about this ad, that it will get more press, that it will make a much bigger splash than an ad that merely met societal norms.

It may sound cynical, but it’s really no more profound or complicated than that.

Gillette’s Venus for Pubic Hair and Skin commercial: The Cranky Ad Review verdict

The reason I like Schick’s “trimming bushes” ad so much is because it is fun and flirty — perfect for its target audience. I suspect that the people who complained loudest about this ad were not in the target market and would not have bought the product anyway.

But the uproar over this Gillette ad is different. Based on my own online research and an informal survey of people in my circle, this ad for Venus seems to be divisive even among women in the target audience. Worse, this ad has incensed Gillette buyers of both sexes who swear they’ll stop buying the brand altogether.

This is not what good advertising is supposed to do.

If creatives have one job left, it is to find clever and imaginative ways to sell these kinds of products while being polite and respectful guests in people’s homes.

In other words, advertisers — use your heads, and keep your junk in your pants.

Cranky Ad Review rating: One stubbly star out of five.

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What do you think of this commercial for Gillette’s Venus Pubic Hair and Skin razor? Share your comments below.

130 comments

  1. If I was going to buy a product like this, I would rather be convinced to buy it by reading what it actually does or by reviews of people who already have used it so I can hear what their experiences were as far as product quality and effectiveness to make my decision rather than watch some woman looking at herself in the mirror, dancing around, and standing outside with her friend. If it weren’t for the two second shot of her running the razor across the inside of her thigh, it wouldn’t be completely obvious what the ad was even for.

    I had a chance earlier to read your other blog post about the inundation of race and other minorities in advertising and in addition to all the diversity groups mentioned there, I would like to add that the advertisements for women’s clothing are currently so saturated with plus size and larger models that anyone below these sizes would think there was nothing available to them by certain brands. I have scrolled right past several of them on social media and wondering why I was being targeted with the ads when I am not part of the demographic. It’s nuts.

    1. Simple solution is do not buy Gillette products. This is ridiculous. They have gone too far. Is there such a thing as privacy? Women would rather read about it in a women’s magazine than see it broadcast it on TV for every man, woman and child.

  2. Just want to see a show of hands – how many of you saw that ad while watching Fox News?

    1. What’s your point, Randy? Have you not seen it while watching CNN or MSNBC?

      By the way, folks, this drive-by shitposter didn’t even have the balls to provide his real email address. Coward.

    3. That was the most appalling commercial I have ever witnessed!! Shame on them for putting that garbage on tv. Our kids were in the room with us! This is garbage!! We will NEVER PURCHASE anything from this company again!!!

    5. Well, I was raised to be a lady, not just female. Every woman knows these products are on the market, and can even be advertised in a tasteful manner WITHOUT A DISGUSTING DANCING PUBIC HAIR, OR WATCHING A FREAKIN’ A CLOSEUP A SOME CHICK SHAVE HER BIKINI AREA. NO FEMALE WANTS A CLOSEUP OF ANOTHER WOMAN’S WHOO-HA! SORRY! NEWS FLASH, LADIES! If you haven’t already figured it out… if you buy Pink razors and such that have the same product in Men’s (not in pink), you’re simply paying PINK MARK UP, AND THE COMPANIES ARE COUNTING ON YOUR NAIVETY TO DO SO. Men’s quality razors, shave sooooo much better and last far longer, because they shave tougher scruff on Men’s faces that get shaved more often, but need to be easy on a face and careful to not cause ingrown hairs as easily. So, do yourself and your wallet a favor, and buy the blue razors. 💗

      1. Sounds like smart advice to me, Rebecca! Ladies? If you’re not down with the raw visuals and explicit language of Gillette’s Venus for Pubic Hair and Skin razor ads, then give those men’s razors a try. If they’re strong yet gentle enough for a man’s face, they should be good for your nether regions as well.

        In fact, I might suggest that you try a Jeremy’s razor if you really want to sock it to these woke companies: https://thecrankycreative.com/jeremys-razors-commercial-the-shot-heard-round-the-ad-world/

        Rebecca, thanks for writing.

      2. Rebecca – I am with you 100%!! How did the FCC allow such trash to be aired during prime time hours (or AT ALL). Every time I see it I start screaming at the TV and not in a good way. Sometimes I scream that they should have a comparable ad with men shaving their “huevos” but I don’t want to see that either. I will never buy products from this company again. I also agree that shavers for men are cheaper, better and last longer.

        1. Why are you reacting so negatively regarding a product that addresses human issues. You’d think you were trapped in a time warp placing you in the dark ages.

            1. touché my friend
              I thankfully haven’t seen this particular commercial yet, but am familiar with the greedy push of such companies disregarding the respect of decency

              1. If you haven’t seen this commercial out in the wild, Cheryl, then consider yourself lucky. Doubly so if you missed Gillette’s ill-advised animated video for “The Pube Song.” (I only wish I was joking.)

                Thanks for reading and subscribing!

  3. Commercial is totally inappropriate and we do not need to see this, some things are meant to be private and this is one of them.

    1. Now, now. You must be from an older generation — someone over 30 — who isn’t obsessed with everyone having a right to shove their crotches and hairy armpits and pregnant “man”-bellies into everyone else’s business. I’m not sure how I feel about that, Anonymous . . . if I agree with you, the blue-haired crazy people might call me racist! 😉

      1. I hate their commercials too, not appropriate! I do not want young children to see these cartoon like ads!!!

  4. You should come to the UK for all kinds of cringeworthy ads that appear well before the 9pm watershed, just when you are sitting down for dinner with your family. Remedies for thrush, constipation, impotence, incontinence, spots, boils, weird smells, graphic periods, you name it, we’ve got it. Personally, I think they should place these ads in magazines or online. Or better still, display them in a supermarket. Don’t worry, we’ll find them. There’s no need to embarass our 85 year old parents or confuse our 7 year old kids. Too much reality for a family dinner.

      1. This is an absolutely disgusting commercial. This world is so perverted and there is zero modesty. No one needs to have their private business displayed on tv. I will never again purchase anything this company sells. Doing my research immediately.

  5. This ad is inappropriate as are some others being aired now. I find them unnecessary. There’s no need for anyone to know what’s going on behind closed doors. What ever happened to modesty and privacy? And least of all, children don’t need to see these things. Even in this voyeuristic world, there’s no need to be see things that we’ve been doing for ages. I think we can figure out what to do on our own, especially in the day of the internet. It’s wrong for anyone to force anything into our homes. Have respect. For those who want to see these things, they can research online. Those who don’t, stop forcing it into their homes. Pull these commercial, they’re inappropriate for numerous reasons.

    2. I’m a step ahead of talk. I wrote to Gillette a few weeks ago. I’m not a prude but this was very distasteful.

      Great article. I’m glad I’m not alone.

      1. Couldn’t agree with you more. Absolutely ridiculous when we have to watch a woman shave her PRIVATE parts!

    2. I personally find this commercial very offensive!
      Kids DO NOT need to be exposed to this
      & why suggest women shave!!!!!!
      I’m very disappointed…

      2. Please if your kids are old enough to hear that the 13 year old VIRGIN Mary gave birth and raised it with a 30 something year old they’re old enough to see pubic hair.

    3. I guess if you’re into ‘hiking through the forests’ to get to your objective.. Then by all means, go for it!!

  7. I was shocked but then was disappointed immediately, expecting the first labia on TV commercials

  8. You people need to get a life.

    This is a great ad and it hits their target market and provides a solution to an issue that women have.

    And there’s not one God damn thing wrong with it.

    It’s absolutely creative and well produced. No soft porn. No suggestive anything, Other than providing a damn good razor to get the job done.

    Maybe you should deal with some larger issues than pithy crap like this.

    90% of the women who complain about this ad probably ran right out and bought the razor.

    Grow up for God’s sakes.

    Sick of warning babies like you people.

    1. Thanks for the laugh, F’ed Up. I haven’t cringed so hard since the last time I saw a Liberty Mutual commercial.

      You’re wrong, by the way. This ad isn’t merely suggestive, it’s explicit in its visuals and overt mention of pubic hair.

      It’s a fine commercial if shown only to tattooed hipsters like the model in the ad, but a crass overreach to everyone else, particularly those watching TV with children and grandchildren.

      And who are you to “warn” anyone of anything, Mr. or Mrs. F’d Up?

      To paraphrase a line from Jack Nicholson’s character in the film As Good As It Gets: “People like you can shave my crotch.”

      1. Agree with you wholeheartedly my grandson looked at me like what the heck??? I was embarrassed for us both

      2. F’d Up is way off base! The Gillette commercial is offensive & in my opinion completely missed the mark! Unfortunately, advertisers seem to have no bounds as we now see commercials for feminine hygiene products during peak hours which mean many people are probably watching TV & those type of products are the last thing anyone wants to see while eating lunch or dinner. Toilet paper ads, feminine hygiene products, manscaping products, close ups of peoples under arms. Where does it stop. Recently I saw a commercial of a woman’s face between another woman’s legs who are obviously in stirrups talking about some kind of deodorant for private parts!! For Christs sake!! Shock value meter it’s off the chart but the vulgarity meter is knocked off the chart! What must little kids be thinking when they see these types of commercials? Personally I’m fed up!

      3. This shows utter disrespect for women, though some might not say so. Women are so disrespected and this commercial is another poignant way to further the lack of respect.
        I would not buy the product or recommend it to anyone I know!

        1. Does this ad for Gillette’s Venus for Pubic Hair and Skin razor disrespect women? Or does it empower them? It depends on who you ask. There’s a war going on right now over female identities and what constitutes a woman. I’m guessing women will have to figure it out for themselves.

    2. Oh wow. Look at how brave and stunning your tirade is. How dare anyone express an opinion that conflicts with your own. What is this, America? Thank you for your thoughtful wisdom in this reply. What really hit home with me in your expressive rant is while you’re telling someone else to grow up, you’re having your own little tantrum about someone else disagreeing with your own thought process.

      1. “Stunning and brave,” lol. Thanks, Kristin. It does my heart good to see others speak up and call out the hypocrisy of neo-fascists like F’ed up. These people are getting out of hand.

    3. This commercial goes way beyond crossing the line, you wouldn’t have a man on there with his leg up shaving his public hair! I am sick of seeing this commercial come up every time I watch t.v. they stopped showing a cute commercial with dogs from Chewy, but they show this crazy! And the fact it’s on during the day and evening when kids are home, it’s on channels they watch! Take the crotch in my face off!!!!!

      1. Exactly right. Advertisers have a responsibility to not run ads like this during the day and during primetime hours when children may be watching. But Gillette, apparently, is too edgy to give a damn.

          1. Relax? No. That’s precisely the sort of attitude that’s gotten us into this mess we’re in now, where grade-school teachers are “educating” young children about gender identities, talking to them about their sex lives, and encouraging them to make choices they’re in no way prepared to make.

            There’s a culture war raging in America, and it’s time for people to wake up and choose sides.

    4. Thank you. Most of the commentary as well as the article itself are childish. Finally an adult assessment.

    5. Fed Up, you obviously have no couth, no moral compass. I bet you are completely wrong about 90% of women buying this product…we are way smarter than that! No one in their right mind would support BS like this.

  9. Thank you Holly. Thank you Rob. Couldn’t agree more. And if these companies are thinking they are being forward thinking showing the truth of shaving behind bathroom doors, then why don’t they show spouses shaving their husbands’ backs….

    1. That’s a good point, Rebecca. What some people don’t get is that the majority of us do not want, nor do we need, to see such authentic examples of personal grooming in our living rooms. Commercials are not programming — we have not asked to see them. So advertisers have a responsibility to behave, and that means showing respect and decorum.

  10. Odd that everyone is so offended by a woman wearing more clothes than someone on a beach pretending to shave her bikini area. No one does this with clothing on. It is just a demonstration of product. Funny that kids come out of vaginas then you shield them from this fact and act like a woman’s body is gross and offending. It is not like she is naked. Ugh. Get over yourselves.

    1. GTFOH. In a world where schools teach first-graders about masturbation and encourage children as young as age 4 to change their gender identification without their parents’ consent, I don’t see anything wrong with wanting to preserve our kids’ innocence just a little bit longer. In any case, the decision to broach topics such as pubic-hair shaving with kids should be made by parents, not a fucking TV commercial.

      Edited to add: In case it’s not obvious, we *already* live in Clown World:

          1. Your response is a little ugly and insulting for a lady (I assume) who is concerned with how explicit a razor commercial is. What’s with the swearing? And I wasn’t missing your point, I just don’t agree. I would think that with your world view, where children are being taught to masturbate and change their genders, that a woman shaving her legs in a commercial would register at about a 2 on a scale of 10. Also, I would suggest you might try to recapture some of your own innocence. You sound like a person who has suffered a lot. I don’t mean for this to sound combative; I am being sincere. I wish for you a path towards resolving your anger. It’s one thing to have an opinion, but your response to my comment was very intense, considering the comment wasn’t even disagreeing with you. Try and find some solace. There are things in this world that are not trying to assault you. I really meant no offence.

            1. Thanks for expanding on your position, Anonymous. Please understand, this blog receives a fair number of drive-by shitposts from people who don’t want to leave their names, and I mistook your comment for one of those.

              In any case, it sounds like we’ll have to agree to disagree. I believe that explicit ads like this one, when shown at all hours of the day, hasten the loss of our children’s innocence and contribute to a coursening of the culture.

              If Gillette only ever ran this ad after 9 p.m. or during shows with mature content that are already aimed at adult audiences, I would have less of a problem with it. A point that I thought I’d made clear in my article.

              As for trying to recapture my own innocence, Anonymous — sorry, but that ship has sailed. It’s OK. I named this blog The Cranky Creative for a reason, and this is one place where you will find truth in advertising even if it isn’t always pretty.

  11. I think I have this right: the Schick ad is ok, but the Gillette is not. Interesting.

    You describe the Schick ad as “flirty and fun.” Looking at the ad I can see that. Three scantily clad, underfed, idealized young women dancing around as they flirtily trim their lil “bushes.” Tee hee. The colors are vibrant, lush, and green, the pool tranquil–everything ideal and fantastical. And then there’s the big twist: it was a contest! Whoever trimmed their lil bush the best is the winner!

    The ad kind of works on two levels.

    It works on men, who happily ogle the imagined poon and maybe turn and say, “Hey babe, you should, uh, trim down there.” A sale may or may not happen (and I’m sure Schick has a pretty good idea what the number is) but something more important happened. Schick just positioned itself in millions of men’s minds as *sexy*. Gillette has a bigger market share that Schick, especially in men’s razors. The idea that Schick is sexy, with a hyper-sexualized commercial to fondly remember, might convince a guy to try Schick, and maybe while he’s there, get one of those sexy razors to see if she’s game (roll the brown chicken, brown cow soundtrack).

    For women it’s more of the tired, over used, hyper-sexualized, you’ll-never-look-like-them-but-buy-our-product-and-you-might… bullshit advertising has been shoved in women’s faces from the get go. You’re not good enough; buy our product. And unfortunately, it works.

    The commercial objectifies and heavily-sexualizes women to sell a product that removes hair. Something that everyone who shaves does. (And let’s just take a moment here to say that every human on the planet has the right to shave, or not shave, however much, of any part(s), of their bodies that they so choose and it’s none of anyone else’s fucking business.)

    The Gillette ad, on the other hand, has a closer-to-normal sized woman, in closer-to-regular underwear, moving about in an unrealistic, and just *softly* sexualized way. The colors are more subdued, more realistic. It’s a fantasy, yes, but much closer to reality. And then it shows, quickly and from awkward angles, her shave her inner thigh. Not her full-frontal beaver from the Schick ad, but the “bikini zone.” The place that most, if not all, women who a) shave, and b) wear swimsuits, are most concerned about.

    We see an almost realistic woman (with tattoos, of course, because edgy) shaving that pain in the ass spot just under her bikini line. Holy shit. A realish woman using a product to fix a problem. Boom. That’s a sale. The ad isn’t for men. This for the woman who is doing the shopping anyway and her husband, as sales numbers show, uses Gillette already, and she’s used his a few times when hers was too dull and she knows they work, so why not.

    The ad is not overly sexualized. The woman does sort of dance about and the more “flirty” trimming of pubes is alluded to, but it’s not the Schick ad. This is *just a lil bit* sexy. The positioning here for the guy is minimal. And maybe that’s why you all are having such histrionics. They’re talking about shaving pubes and it’s not sexy. It’s utilitarian and not porn. How fucking dare they!

    Schick gives you a sexualized fuck scenario with an award for Best Trimmed Beaver, and Gillette gives you a woman shaving her crotch.

    You want the end result, the smooth fuckable prize, but you don’t want to see what it takes to make skin smooth. Don’t want to admit that shaving down there would be a pain in the ass. Seriously boys, fucking try it. Shave your junk. Take the bush off. Scrape the scrote. I’ll fucking wait. Most of you complainingass motherfuckers won’t do it. So you have no idea.
    Shaving isn’t sexy. The end result, sure, if that’s your thing. Gillette knows this. Schick is pandering to a bunch of dudes who can’t abide the thought of women’s product being advertised without the women in those commercials being sexual objects.

    Grow the fuck up.

    1. Wow, talk about edgy!

      Come off it, twitmeyer. If you’d read my review, you’d know that my main problem with this ad is that it runs at all hours of the day, during all kinds of programming, in front of all audiences.

      Taste is subjective, but I don’t believe this ad is appropriate for all audiences. In contrast, I haven’t heard anyone complain about the Schick ad running in prime-time hours.

      But if you want to talk about taste, or about who these ads are aimed at, we can do that, too.

      I don’t agree with you at all that the Schick ad “objectifies and heavily sexualizes” women, or that its message is “you’re not good enough” (where on Earth did that come from?), or that the models here are intended to titillate men any more than the edgy hipster in the Gillette ad.

      The girls are wearing bikinis, for goodness’ sake — just like millions of women wear every year on beaches and in backyards around the world.

      As I said in the review, the Gillette ad is just too raw for a mass medium like television, and others agree. The lack of a visual metaphor and overt talk of pubic hair are jarring to most people’s sensibilities — which is why, if you read the comments from both reviews, you’ll find not only more complaints about the Venus ad, but more complaints about the Venus ad from women.

      Also, if you really think the Schick ad is going to get guys to buy bikini razors for their girls, then you don’t understand that ad or men (but especially men).

      Finally, I think it’s pretty presumptuous of you to say that men are too lazy or whatever to groom themselves down there. “Manscaping” is very much a thing, and has been for years.

      To close, I think the bottom line here is that very few TV viewers, male or female, want or need to see people of either sex shaving their crotchal areas on TV.

      1. Can you imagine going back in time with your style and pissing everyone off by showing your ankles??
        It’s the 21st century… don’t be a psycho. Maybe we could quit wasting time bitching about stuff we should be teaching our children anyway? Thanks.
        I bet you don’t teach your kids about sex, alcohol and drugs either huh?

    2. Amen, twitmeyer. Absolute bullseye. I found the Schick commercial degrading and nasty, and the Gillette one almost boringly practical. I had to watch it twice to even guess at what people found so pearl-clutchingly offensive.

  12. Wow, just saw this disgusting commercial for the first time! I went looking for a way to let Gillette know it’s gross and inappropriate. Can it get any worse with Gillette? Yes it can. They have a Tiktok video of The pube song. And I hope Disney sues them over it.
    I’m not going to buy any Gillette products ever again.

  13. The ad is not appropriate for all audiences and shouldn’t be forced into our homes. It’s quite shocking, especially around children. The ad should be removed.

    1. I agree with you, Ct, and so do many others.

      Now, what are we going to do about it? Obviously, there are is a faction of people who continue to push, push, push at the boundaries of what is acceptable in our society. You see it on TV, in popular music, and even (and most alarmingly) in our schools and classrooms.

      Have you heard about the private school in Manhattan that received complaints from parents for teaching sex education lessons to first-graders, including masturbation?

      Or, how about the flap that occurred last week when London-based journalist, Flora Gill, called for “entry-level porn for children”? Oh, yeah. In a now deleted tweet, Gill said, “Young teens are already watching porn but theyre finding hard core aggressive videos that give a terrible view of sex. They need entry level porn@ A soft core site where everyone asks for consent and no one gets choked etc.”

      This is a culture war we are in, and every time the envelope gets pushed farther, it doesn’t ever roll back. At some point, the people who disagree with the inexorable degradation of our culture and morals are going to have to push back, or lose the culture completely.

      Thanks for writing, Ct.

    2. This ad is way too much! You need to keep some things private. This is going beyond boundaries of shaving and you think it’s ok? Think again. This ad needs to be pulled. It’s disgusting!

  14. This is disgusting. Really no morals, this is a disgrace to women. Take this off the air. Everyone knows what a razor is for. We don’t need to see this.

  15. I don’t understand why Gillette thinks I as a woman want to see some other woman shaving her stubbly pubic hair off when I’m relaxing watching a TV show. I know how a razor works. We all know how a razor works. The only reason to show this is to attract attention to their brand in a salacious and uncomfortable way that will make me remember them when I buy my next razor And oh believe me I will remember you Gillette I as a woman will remember you embarrassed mothers and fathers and children and teenagers and grandmothers for no better reason than so you could sell more razors. And i will tell you how I feel about you trying to manipulate me while making life a little more crass for everyone by deliberately not buying your razors.

    1. Well said, Joanne. We consumers can make a difference. So vote with your dollars, and let your voice be heard on social media. The only way to stop them is to push back.

  16. Why not just remove the panties and show us the goods? This way my 6 year-old grandson who is wondering what this is all about can get a sneak preview of what the future holds for him! Seriously I am TOTALLY OFFENDED BY THIS, watching TV with my 17 year old daughter and this money grabbing garbage company shows this junk it’s absolutely ridiculous — WILL NEVER PURCHASE ANYTHING FROM THAT BRAND EVER!

    1. Agreed! My Mother & me were totally shocked and offended to see this commercial. It’s as if this company is totally insensitive and worse, this one commercial aired like 7 times during the program we were watching. Is this really the direction we want to take society!? It’s as if morality has just been rejected & FORCED out the door! So disappointed!

      1. Agreed! The commercial is appalling! We women know how to use a razor and in delicate areas. I saw it on NatGeo. If this is the best your team at Venus can do, its time you replace them! Until you pull commercials like this, I WONT buy any of your razors.

      2. You saw this commercial several times with your mother? Oh, Art. I feel for you.

        I wonder, did the idiots at Gillette bother to think how this ad would play out with mixed audiences like this?

        These people are either stupid or driven by some crazy agenda that I don’t understand.

        Thanks for writing.

    2. OK, here is another great example of why television is not the right medium for this type of ad. (Not that I think there *is* an appropriate place for this ad.)

      This is three generations of family caught in the crossfire of Gillette’s very public pubic-hair pruning — a man, one of his teenage daughters, and his grandson.

      Gillette, this is not OK.

      PACJCP, I would be pissed off, too, and I’ve sent Gillette a tweet to let them know about it.

      Thanks for writing.

  17. We dont need to see it. If you dont know what a razor is used for.. well then you’re too young. We dont need a visual. Men are sick. This world is a horrible mess!! My man absolutely drools over this ad. Its awkward, Embarrassing, and down right disrespectful. I’ve never liked the brand. Now I absolutely despise them all together.

    1. Agree with most everything you said, Lacey, except for the “men are sick” part. I mean, I’m pretty sure this ad was created with the goal of reaching women who look like and identify with the model in the ad. By the sound of it, that’s not you, and that’s fine. But I don’t think men are entirely to blame.

      As for your man, perhaps he just ogles the ad because he finds it entertaining to get a rise out of you?

      Thanks for writing.

  18. it sounds like you’re jealous because it’s a real woman who’s attractive and you’re threatened, it’s 2021 lol this commercial should be the least of your concerns. it sounds like you are a part of the problem in our misogynist society.

    2. It’s her thigh. She’s pretending to shave her thigh wearing something with more cover up than a bikini.
      I am missing the outrage. Is it because it is near her vagina?

      1. No, it’s because the visuals and language used here are clearly outside of accepted norms for television ads that run at all hours of the day. It’s a question of taste, decorum, and timing, and this ad lacks all three.

      2. This ad is disgusting and shouldn’t be on tv. If you can’t understand that you are part of the immoral problem in our country.

      3. The complaint seems to be that a quick cut of a woman shaving her thigh makes them feel awkward in front of their children and older relatives? But the bikini bimbos sculpting their “bush” … doesn’t? Yeah, as a mom, I love for ads to teach my kids to use degrading slang for my private parts. I’m almost thinking these comments must be parody … Seriously, the content of whatever show these multigenerational families are gathered around the dinner table to watch probably has more raunchy content than this ad.

        1. “Bikini bimbos”? You take that back! 😝

          Seriously, everyone in advertising is so obsessed with creativity and “being creative,” and then when Schick rolls out a cute visual metaphor (that quite impressively shows off what the product can do), people complain about it.

          Different strokes for different folks, for sure.

          In any case, it’s not just the quick cut of the model’s crotch that’s the problem. If I’m a parent, I’d like the opportunity to broach the subject of pubic hair (and everything else that leads to) with my children before Gillette and its edgy commercials start the conversation for me.

    3. It’s just a gross commercial. I don’t want to see anyone shaving pubes ever. I won’t buy their products again.

    4. I agree with Lacey – we don’t need to see it! How in the world do you teach young girls modesty when a commercial as ridiculous as this one is aired at any given time? Who is Gillette trying to appeal to? Kind of sad to think it must be men because a female old enough to shave doesn’t need a demonstration. I can’t imagine this ad will generate more sales than people vowing to no longer purchase products from this company. Gillette really missed the mark on this one. Cut your losses, offer a public apology and create a commercial with class.

      1. As I said to Lacey, I really don’t think this ad is meant to target men at all. What good would that do? It’s women that Gillette wants. It’s women who will buy the product. Companies (well, most companies) don’t make money with ads that simply titillate one sex or the other.

        1. I understand what you’re saying but Victoria’s Secret went down the path of appealing to men with their “Angels” campaign and found out the hard way…their sales plummeted and they were forced to regroup. Who didn’t see that coming? Gillette appears to be going down a similar path.

  19. No one needs to see this commercial of woman shaving pubes, going too far…take the commercial off the air!

    1. If you want to make a difference, Anonymous, let your voice be heard. Tell Gillette what you think on its Facebook and Twitter pages. You have more power than you think.

    3. Agreed! It’s too personal and somethings need to stay behind closed doors. Not appropriate at all. Save the children of the future.

  20. “Gillette did not create this ad to empower anyone. It created this ad to sell razors”

    Although ads are supposed to fill you with desire irrespective of actual need, the companies actually don’t particularly care why you buy so long as you do. “Empowerment” to them is nothing more than a marketing scheme.

    Anyone expecting TV ads to “empower” them is waiting for a bus that’s never coming anyway, but at least major corporations can squeeze a couple bucks out of ’em, amirite?

    1. Right, Scarhide. So often, “brand purpose” and other virtue signaling by big corporations is just bullshit disguised as social consciousness to trick gullible consumers into buying from them. See Apple and Chinese forced labor as one example.

      Maybe it’s just a way for insecure marketing folks to feel like they’re making a difference in the world and not just peddling razors or sports shoes or whatever. But unless they work for an organization like Greenpeace or St. Jude, it’s more than likely bullshit.

      Thanks for writing.

  21. Take that f***** commercial out!!!
    Children don’t need to see this!!

  22. The ads are inappropriate. Younger viewers are seeing more than they should. I will NOT buy the product because of these ads.

    1. Good for you, Joan. Vote with your dollars. And if you’d like to make sure your voice is heard, let Gillette know what you think on its Facebook and Twitter pages.

    2. What do you object to them seeing? Pretend shaving where there is no hair on a woman’s thigh? A woman in a fairly modest bikini type outfit?

      1. You think the model in this ad looks “modest”? And if I’m a parent of a young kid, the last thing I need is for advertisers to come into my home, uninvited, and start conversations for us about “pubic” anything.

  23. The copywriters for the ad are young millenials who have no sense of morals and boundaries. The ad is beyond vile and degrading. It cheapens women, treating them like a piece of meat.

    1. Depending on who you talk to, Steve, this ad is either empowering to women or exploitative.

      Either way, it’s too divisive to be a good ad.

  24. If they could target this at “hipsters” and “women with tatoos”, which they are probably doing on paid social, YouTube and elsewhere, great. Shot gunning on linear TV, no.

    1. Spot on, Chris. Digital channels such as Facebook and YouTube allow advertisers to target prospects with great precision. As the model in this ad probably isn’t the best choice for connecting with the widest audience, digital would be a great strategy here.

      Thanks for writing, Chris. Always appreciate your insights!

      1. Judging from the ads I get when I forget to block them on Youtube, their precision is far from precise.

        1. Agreed, YouTube seems to hit me with random ads. But I’ve worked with Facebook advertising and their audience targeting can be impressively precise.

  25. Excellent review. The ideas of respecting sensitivities and curtailing coarseness are priorities of advertisers less and less…to our collective detriment.

    1. Agreed, Holly. The thing a lot of advertisers don’t get (or maybe they do) is that advertising doesn’t just reflect society — it also influences it. This ad, I think, contributes to a coarsening of the culture.

      1. These ads are horrible. I will no longer buy either razor. Women know where and where they don’t shave. We don’t need another commercial that is inappropriate. It’s ok to not have all our private feminine details aired. Modesty is beautiful. Children do not need to be exposed to adult private matters. Advertising does influence and they know this. Unfortunately they have supported the trend to overturn values and morals.
        And society goes along with it. What once was not ok is now ok. What once was bad is now good. Society has taken the bad and made it appear good. They blast immoral and indecent behaviors in ads and billboards and call it ok. Because people don’t have a firm foundation of truth, they are tossed to and fro with what’s not ok. Those who oppose those indecent behaviors are ridiculed and called intolerant. Bullied by people who do not want their sins exposed. If your looking for firm foundation of truth and want to have Hope, then look towards Jesus. He can give you the free gift of grace. If you confess with your mouth Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that He was raised from the dead, you can be saved. Then you will know truth and then you won’t be tossed about with this world that so desperately seeks to destroy the things that are lovely, true, and pure.

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