We (Want To) Believe In The Best Of Men: A Qualitative Analysis Of Reactions To #Gillette On Twitter

The Twitter hashtag #Gillette emerged in 2019 as a reaction to an advertisement that called attention to unhealthy manifestations of masculinities among men. The advertisement also encouraged men to intervene when they witnessed violence by and among other men. The "precarious manhood" thesis posits that pressure to constantly "prove" one's masculinity provokes deep anxiety among men and that some men may resort to extreme, potentially risky externalizing behaviors-such as aggression-to project the traditional masculine norm of dominance when they perceive their masculine status is challenged. Gender transformative public health policies and programs also invoke resistance from some men. From this framework, the present study used qualitative thematic coding of a sample of originalcontent tweets (N = 497) to examine public sentiment toward an advertisement that directly challenged masculine norms of dominance and aggression. Themes included (a) commentary on the company that used the advertisement, (b) descriptions of masculine norms, (c) engaging men in challenging hyper-masculine norms, and (d) resistance to the advertisement through deflection and antifeminist sentiment. A fifth theme encompassed comments that reflected nationalism, racial animus, and commentary on the political affiliations of other Twitter users. These findings highlight the opportunity for advertisements to initiate widespread discussion of masculine norms on social media, as well as the potential for discussions that question traditional masculine norms to incite defensiveness among some individuals.