« Danica signs man boobs in Boost Mobile ad | Main | Crispin interns get lunch money via auction »
Gillette video teaches art of genital shaving
To help out its male customers, Gillette has posted a series of instructional shaving videos on YouTube, the most ridiculous of which is the "How to Shave Your Groin" video above. Whatever the merits of doing so ("When there's no underbrush, the tree looks taller," the Gillette guy posits), I'm not sure I like the word "groin" in this context. For one thing, "groin" refers to where the torso meets the legs on either side of the pubic area, so there's some anatomical confusion going on here. And their advice for that area isn't much different than their suggestions for other parts of the body. Honestly, you'll get better shaving advice from aging punk rocker Ben Weasel, who's been blogging about it a lot for some reason. UPDATE: The videos are also posted to Gillette.com, along with some live-action footage that thankfully does not include ball-shaving. |
Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
What agency was ballzy enough to create this ad?
Posted by: A.B. | May 27, 2009 2:47:49 PM
This is possibly the most ridiculous serious commercial that I have ever seen.
Posted by: Stuart Foster | May 27, 2009 3:10:23 PM
"when there's no underbrush, tree looks taller. lmao"
Posted by: flo | May 27, 2009 7:55:17 PM
I wonder how long the copy writers lamented over the line 'consider the unique topographical features under your hood'...
I'm just quietly impressed wiht the whole thing!
Posted by: Loucifer | May 27, 2009 8:26:08 PM
I wonder how long the copy writers lamented over the line 'consider the unique topographical features under your hood'...
I'm just quietly impressed wiht the whole thing!
Posted by: Loucifer | May 27, 2009 8:26:09 PM
Me...I'm speechless.
Posted by: adchick | May 27, 2009 9:57:00 PM
Shaving "under the hood" can lead to greater susceptibility to certain STDs particularly genital warts. Mainly because you're shaving off the very top layer of skin and you risk nicks cuts etc. from the blade. What's even worse you can spread your warts to more places on by shaving.
Posted by: nihil | May 27, 2009 9:58:30 PM
not to be attempted while tripping on acid, kids
Posted by: UncomfortablyNumb | May 27, 2009 10:19:05 PM
I actually thought this was kind of hot.
Posted by: HSL in NYC | May 28, 2009 6:46:36 AM
Remember: do NOT apply aftershave!
Posted by: cuffarisez | May 28, 2009 1:47:46 PM
I liked it better when I saw it 4 years ago on Shaveeverywhere.com.
"Trim the hedges and the house looks bigger" and "optical inch" are classics. Thank you Philips Bodygroom.
Posted by: Orly | May 28, 2009 2:10:03 PM
"If God wanted us to shave, he wouldn't have put hair there..." :)
Oh well, that's why I have a beard, too.
Also, Gillette is the THE number one company guilty of 'testing' their blades by cutting on live rabbits. It's called vivisection and it's torture to the little beasts.
Gillette has stooped to new lows, as a disgusting company, trying to sell more products by tapping into mens' insecurities about their bodies.
Posted by: reddbear | May 28, 2009 4:39:39 PM
BBDO was the agency.
Posted by: n/a | May 28, 2009 4:48:51 PM
Actually, for any guy who hasn't done this before and is about to go in for a vasectomy or other surgery on that region, this is actually handy.
A pretty large percentage of men will need to do this at least once in their life for medical reasons. I can only assume none of the other posters here are old enough to have had to tackle this task.
Posted by: Martin | May 28, 2009 4:51:09 PM
"when there's no underbrush, tree looks taller"
Actually, when there's no underbrush, the tree looks prepubescent.
Not that I'm completely opposed to hair trimming down there. It's just that I favor nibbling as the preferred method.
Posted by: BobN | May 28, 2009 5:26:34 PM
Martin makes a good point. My cousin had hernia surgery that required uh... clearing the brush. A nurse came in to "prepare the area". As my cousin was in his early 20s, it took only a slight breeze to raise the mast, if you catch my drift. But the nurse was prepared! Among her tools was a rubber mallet.
Yes, indeed, there is something to be said for doing this yourself...
Posted by: BobN | May 28, 2009 5:31:42 PM
At the age of fourteen, a Zoroastrian named Vilma ritualistically shaved my testicles. There really is nothing like a shorn scrotum, it's breathtaking, I suggest you try it.
Posted by: Doctor Evil | May 28, 2009 6:03:12 PM
Nivea for Men, Active 3, covers the same territory, so to speak, but does it much better. Very straightforward, nothing cute or embarrased as in the Gillette promo. It's on the web, check it out.
Posted by: tomas | May 28, 2009 6:35:40 PM
Proximity Canada did the digital strategy, BBDO NY did the creative
Posted by: collin douma | May 28, 2009 10:25:23 PM
shaved balls makes for a nice, neat look, cuts down on odors, and feels great. shaving the bush, however, is a disgusting trend among str8 men that feminizes and infantilizes them. real men have pubes.
Posted by: el polacko | May 29, 2009 3:49:00 AM
and you can run faster too!
Posted by: speedy | May 29, 2009 10:52:43 AM
Great, a how-to for shaving your balls. Now how about one for commitment?
Posted by: Samantha | May 30, 2009 12:40:41 AM
There's a video ad on the same topic also posted on youtube that, uh, beats the balls off Gilettes. See "Shave Balls To Make Your Bat Look Bigger: A Baseball Adventure" a mashup of 50's b&w footage in which a happy couple find a better way than shaving. The Youtube URL is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jExWiNrcmLo
Posted by: Wanda | Aug 14, 2009 7:57:33 AM
