Shave India: Did we hear it correct?

By: Subhadeep Bhattacharjee

Over the last weekend I happened to watch a Gillette ad where a guy sporting a stubble in a multiplex was being pulled up for not being clean shaven. What's more he was being interrogated by the ad crew who insist they were invited by his girlfriend. Welcome to Gillette's 'Shave India Campaign.' After the Lead India and Teach India campaigns were initiated to transform this nation the American safety razors manufacturing giant thought it would be nice to first transform Indian men's face.

The Gillette Shave India Campaign site reads “Women from various cities across the country have decided to come out of their man's shadows. They have joined forces to form an active change group called W.A.L.S. - women against lazy stubble. These women, joined by glamorous leading ladies like Neha Dhupia, Minissha Lamba and Mugdha Godse, have a single point agenda - to get their man to shave and come clean! If they are doing so much to look after themselves, it's time men responded too!”

Now the question arises from when did American corporates think about bettering the lives of Indians? Procter & Gamble the owners of Gillette seemed to have come out with one of the most unique business ideas to drive their men's toiletries arm by targeting Indian men's stubble. It wasn't difficult for them to get some 'beauty without brains' to stand behind it. Wonder why didn't they choose Afghanistan or some middle eastern nation as it would have made more business sense. Perhaps those countries have fewer 'beauty without brains' to stand behind such a campaign.

Coming back to our very own women against lazy stubble, all men in this country would have just one question. What if we did the same thing to you? Asked you to wear only women's outfit? Wouldn't that become a invasion into one's freedom? Wouldn't that bring in all the Women's Rights Activist up in arms against the people who launch such a campaign. Spare poor souls like us as we do not have a Men's Right Activists to fight for us!

Our 'beauty without brains' falling for such campaign is on as they make a lot of moolah for it but what about a common Indian woman, she stands to gain nothing from it. What joy will it give her to force husband/ beau or friend into such a thing? So high time we stop acting as fools and falling for such advertising campaigns. As for men, boycotting Gillette for a month might make the company realise where it stands. The irony of the campaign is that even if all women in India join Gillette's campaign, they still can't ensure great sales!