{"id":4001,"date":"2016-05-09T20:42:07","date_gmt":"2016-05-09T15:12:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=4001"},"modified":"2026-07-17T20:51:59","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T15:21:59","slug":"dear-mens-grooming-brands-when-will-the-macho-ad-guy-finally-man-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=4001","title":{"rendered":"Dear Men\u2019s Grooming Brands, When Will the Macho Ad Guy Finally Man Up?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I<\/span>t\u2019s been awhile since I last watched <\/p>TV<\/span><\/a>. So when my Netflix refused to load, I finally turned back to the idiot box \u2013 but about 10 minutes into <\/span>The Mummy Returns<\/span><\/i>, the interminable ad break kicked off, and I was treated to a barrage of men\u2019s grooming ads. Looks like the tried-and-true recipe for appealing to men has not changed in several decades: Add a dash of red sports car to a lot of daaru that is being splashed around willy-nilly. Throw in some cringeworthy catchphrases about being \u201ccool\u201d or \u201cmacho\u201d. Slap on a pair of aviator sunglasses. And then, send in hordes of scantily-clad women, for whom all of the above is totally irresistible. <\/span>\n\n\"\"\n

\n

Sidharth Malhotra shares the Brylcreem motto with men.<\/p>\n

Image credit: Brylcreem<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\nHow come these ads were harder to swallow than a movie where an Ancient Egyptian corpse comes to life for the <\/span>second<\/span><\/i> time, I wondered. There\u2019s no way any woman on earth would respond well to the <\/span>boorish<\/span><\/a>, juvenile guys in these ads, who so often confuse \u201csexy\u201d with \u201csexism\u201d. Still, you can\u2019t help but think about all the guys \u2013 and girls \u2013 out there who actually think that the typical, ill-behaved mard in most ads is the epitome of cool. It\u2019s not likely that brands would continue to shove the same old stereotypes in your face if it didn\u2019t convince at least a few impressionable minds. <\/span>\n\nAnd yet, it\u2019s especially strange to see that in these woke times, when there\u2019s a growing acknowledgment that the \u201cmacho\u201d dudes around us are not cute or cool or funny, it\u2019s somehow okay to see that the bro behaviour we despise in real life is desirable in the world of ads. It\u2019s as though we refuse to expect better, or to follow a philosophy of <\/span>#SochBadlaStyleBadla<\/span><\/a>. <\/span>\n\nPerhaps it\u2019s fitting, then, that a classic men\u2019s brand like Brylcreem is bringing a breath of fresh air into the toxic environment that pervades the men\u2019s grooming industry. Putting their money where their mouth is, the brand prints women\u2019s helpline numbers on their packaging, encouraging men to be more thoughtful about positive <\/span>masculinity<\/span><\/a> even as they get ready each morning. <\/span>\n\nBrylcreem has also started changing ideas of manhood in Bollywood \u2014 which, with its item songs and aggressive heroes, is often no better than the men\u2019s grooming industry. Tying up with a younger, more sensitive crop of film stars like <\/span>Varun Dhawan<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Sidharth Malhotra<\/span><\/a>, Brylcreem is sending a message to counter what we see on-screen. Dhawan and Malhotra, after all, don\u2019t crow for attention or act like cooler-than-thou brats. Instead, they let their work speak for itself \u2014 that includes being better role models, who insist that <\/span>#BoysManUp<\/span><\/a> and leave behind such immature behaviour. <\/span>\n

It\u2019s as though we refuse to expect better, or to follow a philosophy of #SochBadlaStyleBadla.<\/blockquote>\nCall it a much-needed return to <\/span>old-school<\/span><\/a> gentlemanly <\/span>values<\/span><\/a>, or a refreshing recognition that the new generation of men can be better than the depictions of them in movies and ads. By encouraging men to be more respectful and responsible, Brylcreem is, for once, on the same page as those of us who roll our eyes and change the channel as soon as we see yet another guy whose new shaving cream magically turns him into God\u2019s gift to women.<\/span>\n\n\"\"\n
\n

Varun Dhawan, the new-age man who insists that #BoysManUp.<\/p>\n

Image credit: Brylcreem<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\nUltimately, that\u2019s a young boy\u2019s version of a perfect life. Sure, brands have got to <\/span>advertise<\/span><\/a> somehow, but it\u2019d be nice if more men\u2019s grooming products could follow Brylcreem\u2019s lead and make ads for real men.<\/span>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s no way any woman on earth would respond well to the boorish, juvenile guys in most men\u2019s grooming ads. So why do shampoo commercials and shaving cream ads insist on shoving the trope of the tiresome manchild down our throats?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":4005,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7083],"tags":[909,7332,7333,2592,7334,7335,7336,7337,7338,1933,5934,2782,7339,4754,1935,1161],"class_list":["post-4001","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","tag-axe","tag-boysmanup","tag-brylcreem","tag-gender","tag-gentlemen","tag-harvey-spector","tag-male-fragility","tag-man-up","tag-manchild","tag-manhood","tag-new-age","tag-sidharth-malhotra","tag-sochbadlastylebadla","tag-suits","tag-toxic-masculinity","tag-varun-dhawan"],"yoast_head":"\nDear Men\u2019s Grooming Brands, When Will the Macho Ad Guy Finally Man Up?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There\u2019s no way any woman on earth would respond well to the boorish, juvenile guys in most men\u2019s grooming ads. 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