Company promoting transgender razor has long pushed gender ideology.
Last week, Braun U.K. became the latest company to face backlash over transgender issues after it featured a promo showcasing a shirtless woman who identifies as transgender and has visible mastectomy scars.
While many commenters appeared shocked by Braun’s open promotion of cosmetic double mastectomies, the German razor brand’s parent company, Procter & Gamble, has pushed a Left-wing social agenda on gender, diversity, and climate issues for years.
P&G, which was first formed in 1837 in Cincinnati, Ohio, has grown to be one of the largest companies in the world, with dozens of brands generating billions in revenue, reporting net sales of over $80 billion for fiscal year 2023.
The company’s embrace of radical gender ideology started back in the 1980s and 1990s when the company began addressing LGBT issues and became one of the first companies to add “sexual orientation” to its nondiscrimination policies.
Throughout the 2000s, the P&G would push gender and sexuality issues through advertising and by 2007 the company would take credit for showing the first male gay kiss on daytime TV in “As the World Turns,” a soap opera produced by the company.
Later, during the public battles over marriage, P&G urged the Supreme Court to overturn state laws defining marriage as between one man and one woman and later used its products to celebrate the Obergefell v. Hodges decision.
We support and respect everyone’s right to be who they are. #LoveWins #LoveHasNoLabels #PrideMonth2015 pic.twitter.com/Ti1wWmKfCd
— Procter & Gamble (@ProcterGamble) June 26, 2015
By 2013, P&G began allocating benefits for employees to get sex change procedures. The company soon started to include transgender-identifying individuals into its advertising for American and global brands.
For example, deodorant brand Secret featured Karis Wilde, a man who identifies as a woman, putting on deodorant in a woman’s bathroom. “Dana finds the courage to show there’s no wrong way to be a woman,” the ad said.
The ad was released as controversies over men using women’s bathrooms came to the forefront after North Carolina Republicans attempted to block men from being allowed in women’s bathrooms if they identified as women.
That same year, the company announced a partnership with Tracey “Africa” Norman, a man who identifies as a woman, to promote the company’s Clairol Nice’n Easy brand.
“Clairol really believes in the power of hair color to transform you, and so do I,” Norman said. “It helped me feel feminine – like the real me. And being the real you is what the new Nice’n Easy campaign is about.”
At the same time, Vick’s, the P&G brand that makes of NyQuil and other over-the-counter medications, ran an ad in India featuring a man who identified as a woman caring for a young girl who said she wanted to be a lawyer when she grew up so she could fight for legal rights for her “mom.”
Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images
In the subsequent years, P&G brands would continue to run transgender-themed ads, including the infamous 2019 Gillette ad that featured a young woman who identified as a man learning to shave her face with her father.
Other initiatives included an Ariel detergent ad featuring a transgender identifying doctor and a Pantene hair care promo featuring a lesbian couple raising a young boy who identified as a girl.
The promotion of transgender ideology is an open part of P&G’s ad strategy, as made evident by partnerships the company has made and comments from top executives.
In March 2020, P&G announced a push for “LGBTQ+ inclusive brand building” with a partnership announced with leftist group GLAAD. The partnership was specially designed to shift cultural attitudes and expand LGBT branding.
“We are still very much at the beginning of a broad cultural shift that is more fully embracing the LGBTQ+ community,” said Alexandra Keith, the CEO of P&G Beauty. “As part of our Citizenship practice, we are bringing LGBTQ+ inclusivity to our brands in a range of ways, and it is an evolution of brand building. This is a reflection of our culture, consumer expectations and the shifting role that companies play in shaping dialogue about visibility, understanding, normalization, and shared humanity.”
Alexandra Keith, chief executive officer of beauty at Procter and Gamble Co., during a panel session on day two of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023. Photographer: Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg via Getty Images
This partnership was announced just three months after P&G executive Marc Prichard and GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis appeared at the World Economic Forum to discuss “LGBTQ-inclusive brand building.”
“We’re taking it to the next level with a new approach to LGBTQ+ marketing, by building it into the fabric of how we build brands — versus ‘bolting it on’ as a separate effort,” Prichard said.
GLAAD and P&G would go on to create a report on “LGBTQ+ Inclusion in Advertising and Media,” which advocated for more LGBT presence in advertising. After the report was released, P&G announced a plan to “develop best in class practices and standards for LGBTQ+ inclusion in advertising and marketing” alongside the Association of National Advertisers’ Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing (AIMM).
P&G would be named the LGBT marketer of the year in 2020 by Out & Equal, and the company pledges to “amplify marginalized voices and bring visibility to the communities that need it the most.
The “inclusive” mindset adopted by P&G has been integrated into global advertising networks as well, including the World Federation of Advertisers, a group that represents 90% of global marketing communications spending.
In the wake of backlash to Bud Light for partnering with transgender-identifying social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney, the WFA ran an article saying companies needed to make a choice to not back down from conservative backlash.
“Brands don’t have a responsibility to change the world. I’m not looking for my toilet paper brand or my favourite beer to create peace in the Middle East or ensure LGBTQ equality. But I am looking for them not to side with people who actively want me silenced at best, and dead at worst. This Pride month you’ve got an important decision to make: I hope you choose to fight the good fight instead of myopically worrying about your Q4 earnings,” Arwa Mahdawi wrote for the WFA.
Additionally, P&G is a member of the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, which is described as an initiative to “address the challenge of harmful content on digital media platforms and its monetization via advertising.”
GARM’s “Brand Safety Floor + Suitability Framework” stipulates that it is not safe for brands to advertise with or have business with entities that incite “hate” or “aggression” based on gender identity or sexual orientation.
While conservatives pulled off one of the most successful boycotts in U.S. history over Bud Light’s promotion of Dylan Mulvaney, companies have also proved pliable before when the Left flexed its muscles.
Back in 2019, P&G brand Always removed the female symbol from its menstruation products after complaints that “non-binary and trans folks” use the products. Even feminine products could not be simply associated with women, according to some activists.
Likewise, Harry’s Razors previously publicly attacked and pulled advertising from The Daily Wire after host Michael Knowles made comments critical of transgender ideology, in part leading Daily Wire co-founder Jeremy Boreing to launch Jeremy’s Razors.
It remains to be seen if the corporate culture wars resolve, but large segments of the corporate world currently seem resolved to continue promoting Left-wing social mores and alienating a significant number of Americans.
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What are the challenges that companies like P&G face when it comes to inclusive advertising and representing diverse communities
Other over-the-counter medications, released an ad featuring a transgender man named Jamie Raines sharing his transition journey. The ad aimed to promote the message of acceptance and understanding.
These examples are just a few among many instances where P&G has actively embraced and promoted transgender issues in their advertising campaigns. They have consistently shown their support for the LGBTQ+ community and have been vocal about their commitment to diversity and inclusion.
However, despite P&G’s efforts to promote acceptance and understanding, their recent promotion featuring a shirtless transgender woman with mastectomy scars has stirred controversy. Some people argue that the ad goes too far and may be triggering for survivors of breast cancer or individuals who have undergone mastectomies for medical reasons.
It is important to acknowledge and respect the lived experiences and identities of transgender individuals. For many transgender people, undergoing a mastectomy is an important step in aligning their physical appearance with their gender identity. By featuring a transgender woman with mastectomy scars, the ad seeks to normalize and celebrate the diversity within the transgender community.
However, it is also crucial to consider the potential impact and sensitivities associated with such imagery. Breast cancer survivors and individuals who have undergone mastectomies for medical reasons may find the ad distressing or feel that it trivializes the difficult choices they have had to make.
Companies like P&G walk a fine line when it comes to inclusive advertising. On one hand, they have a responsibility to represent and celebrate diverse communities and share their stories. On the other hand, they must be mindful of the potential harm that certain images or narratives may cause.
Ultimately, the response to Braun’s ad featuring a shirtless transgender woman with mastectomy scars highlights the ongoing tensions and debates surrounding transgender issues in society. It calls into question the appropriate boundaries for representation and the responsibility of companies to navigate these complex issues.
While the backlash against Braun’s ad is understandable, it is essential to continue an open and respectful dialogue about transgender issues. By engaging in thoughtful conversations and listening to diverse perspectives, we can work towards a more inclusive and understanding society for all.
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