Gillette has hit headlines once again with its latest TV commercial featuring a father teaching his transgender son how to shave.
Canadian transgender artist Samson Bonkeabantu Brown reminisced the memorable experience with his father through the advertisement for Gillette.
His character stands in front of a bathroom mirror as his father tells him, “Now, don’t be scared. Shaving is about being confident.”
“Growing up, I was always trying to figure out what kind of man I wanted to become and I’m still trying to figure out what kind of man that I want to become,” Brown said in the video on Facebook. “I always knew I was different. I didn’t know that there was a term for the type of person that I was.”
Brown thanked Gillette on Facebook for sharing his story to the world and showing how his father has supported him since he was young.
“I shot this ad for Gillette and wanted to include my father, who has been one of my greatest supporters throughout my transition, encouraging me to be confident and live authentically as my best self,” Brown said.
Gillette’s new ad sheds a light on the importance of solid family support for the transgender community.
“I’m keenly aware of how blessed I am to be able to exist in this world being supported by my family in ways that all too often many of my trans brothers, sisters, and siblings who exist outside the binary are not always as fortunate,” Brown added.
Brown said that he’s glad to be at the point in his life where he can shave, when many transgender men can be hindered by financial and medical barriers to have access to “medically necessary hormone treatment”.
Consumers have shared mixed views to the new ad on Twitter, with some unhappy that the razor company is tackling social issues in its ad campaigns.
Brown said on Facebook that he’s confident the ad will have a positive impact on the trans community.
“I am confident that this ad will encourage many of my trans siblings and fill them with the knowledge that our existence in this world can be filled with the love and support we deserve,” he wrote.
