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New campaign from Gillette India makes a case for men getting in touch with their emotions

Gillette has launched a new campaign in India called ‘Man Enough’ – part of its ongoing ‘Shaving Stereotypes’ theme.

Created by Grey India, the film is about an army veteran Manoj Kumar Sinha who was grievously injured in the course of combat, but didn’t shed a tear, because he’d been brought up by his father to believe that crying was not socially acceptable for men. 

Part of the overarching ‘Best a Man Can Be’ theme, a note on the campaign said: “Gillette asks the question – why don’t men show their tears? “The brand challenges the enduring stereotype on why men are taught to not show their vulnerability, not to show their emotions, not to cry because it makes them weak.” 

Through the campaign, Gillette intends sparking a conversation among men in India on the last time they cried. Famous Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar wrote his first ever ‘open letter’ around the theme, detailing his feelings on the date of his retirement in a tweet to his over 30 million fans on Twitter.

Speaking about the campaign, Grey Group India chief creative officer Sandipan Bhattacharyya said: “As a leading male brand and advocate for men, Gillette believes in igniting conversations that raise and inspire the future generation. We want men breaking free of notions that crying makes them weaker. It takes courage to show your vulnerability” 

P&G country category leader of grooming for the Indian subcontinent Karthik Srivatsan said: “Lt. Col. Manoj Kumar and his father are true heroes who’ve shown us that when we get past stereotypes that constrain us, we can emerge stronger together. 

“Gillette is proud to have had the opportunity to be part of their journey. We are committed to Gillette being a force for good and want to continue to bring real life positive stories of men, and play a role in influencing culture. Our actions need to set the right standards for the boys of today to be men of tomorrow.”

Gillette’s previous campaign in India under ‘Shaving Stereotypes’ launched earlier this year was about girls in rural India who took over their father’s barbershop.

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