The controversy
The new controversial Gillette ad is about the good and ugly of masculinity today. It features some of the ways that healthy masculinity shows up. Stopping fights, protecting women, calling out other men’s bad behavior, and coming to the aid of a bullied child are all honorable demonstrations of masculinity at its best.
What they got right
I commend the men that have always behaved this way and those who are now inspired to do so. I commend Gillette for taking a stand on the subject – even if it was part of a marketing ploy. After all, marketing has a massive influence on our culture.
What was missing
But they left something pretty big out of this otherwise impressive piece.
One of the ways that toxic masculinity wasn’t shown in the commercial, and which it is often found in real life, is the control men exhibit over women by controlling the money and keeping women in the dark about finances.
Women are guilty too
To be sure, men aren’t entirely to blame for this. Women have, much too often, voluntarily turned a willful blind eye and let men deal with everything having to do with money, without them.
Societal beliefs about women and money
This has fostered a cultural belief that “men are better with money” and that “women are not smart enough to handle money.” These stereotypes are believed by both men and women but fly in the face of the facts – we know that women who learn how to manage money are really good at it, perhaps even more so than men.
The solution
While we don’t need to turn this into an unhealthy competition (ahem, toxic masculinity) it is important to note that women can be just as good, if not better, than men at handling money. Women just need to have confidence that they can learn it, and the wherewithal to seek out the knowledge.
An important example of healthy masculinity is men encouraging women to learn about finances and supporting them in becoming good at managing money. I would have loved to see a clip of a couple sitting down together and deciding how to spend their money. Or a father teaching his daughter and her friends about money. This kind of partnership, I believe, is the best a man can get.
How you can help
If you’re a man who would like to encourage a woman you care about to learn about handling personal finances, tell her about our upcoming Financially Fit Makeover Program. You can find the details http://bit.ly/finmakeover. And by all means, you’re more than welcome to join us!
Ladies, if you’re ready to help change the culture by empowering yourself, sign up today!
With so much love,
Chelsea
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