If Gillette chooses to term all Indians who grow beards as “lazy”, then their campaign denigrates the Indian Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh who sports beard as per the custom of his religion, the Sikhism, as “lazy”. Is it not an affront to the honour of the whole nation?

Gillette owes a public apology for denigrating the high office of the Prime Minister of India.

Here is an excerpt from the report of DNA:

“In the Gillette campaign, men who do not shave or those who wear stubble are shown to be lazy, so their women have every right to detest and demean them,” said Mumbai-based PR Gokul of the All India Men’s Welfare Association (AIMWA). “Gillette also tags this campaign as women on the warpath. We feel it portrays men negatively and tries to curb their choices” said Mumbai-based PR Gokul of the All India Men’s Welfare Association.
Proctor and Gamble (P&G) claimed that the campaign was based on research findings. “Serving men since 1895, their well-being is at the heart of every decision that Gillette takes. In that spirit we respect all ideologies, communities and opinions that men have. WALS is a creative expression of research findings by AC Nielsen which state that a majority of women prefer their with a men clean shaven look. Our campaign is not an imposition of such views on men who feel differently or wish to grow facial hair out of choice. Our endeavour is to provide superior quality shaving products to men who wish to shave,” said P&G spokesperson.

“By calling men with stubble lazy, P&G have made a communal statement,” said Myth Kumar from Bangalore. Terming the campaign in bad taste, the Shahi Imam of Delhi’s Jama Masjid said, “Sikhs and Muslims wear beards due to religious reasons. But their wives do not complain. Companies should be careful of religious sentiments before running campaigns,” said Bukhari.