In less than two minutes, the men and boys in Gillette’s new ad engage in a panoply of bad behavior: bullying, fighting, discrimination, sexual harassment and more. A line of them, standing behind smoke wafting up from their grills, recites “boys will be boys will be boys will be boys.”

“Boys will be boys”? Isn’t it time we stopped excusing bad behavior? Re-think and take action by joining us at https://t.co/giHuGDEvlT. #TheBestMenCanBe pic.twitter.com/hhBL1XjFVo

“Is this the best a man can get?” the ad asks, challenging viewers to confront issues like toxic masculinity and #MeToo and to abandon “the same old excuses.” By the end of the clip, men are challenging catcallers, championing their daughters and breaking up brawls.

The company, known for its razors and personal care products, posted the ad on social media on Monday. Within a day, it was the subject of a battle in which support for its message collided with calls for boycotts.

The ad was defended and praised by the actress Rosanna Arquette, the comedian Pete Dominick, the screenwriter and director Jeffrey Reddick, Arianna Huffington and others.

But on social media, one man called it “a condescending ad from a company that relies on men buying their products.” Another wrote that “being a man is not a disease nor a pathology,” adding that “it is grotesque to repeatedly ascribe collective guilt onto half of humanity known as men.”

The television personality Piers Morgan railed on Twitter about the ad, calling it “pathetic,” “virtue-signalling” and “a direct consequence of radical feminists” who are “driving a war against masculinity.” He said he used Gillette razors for his entire adult life but, like the actor James Woods, was considering jumping ship.

Soon after Gillette’s advert appeared online, its rival Dollar Shave Club posted a message on Twitter that seemed to welcome new customers. The post was liked more than 4,500 times, compared with a few dozen likes on the company’s other posts.

This is not the first time Procter & Gamble, which owns Gillette, has echoed progressive rhetoric in its marketing.

The company’s Pantene hair products line once ran a “Strong is Beautiful” campaign, which featured football players from the New Orleans Saints, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys braiding their daughters’ hair. The #LikeAGirl campaign for the Always feminine hygiene products, which encourages girls to face the fear of failure, shows them playing chess, fencing and drumming.

Follow Tiffany Hsu on Twitter: @tiffkhsu.

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