Major funding for backstory is provided by an anonymous donor, the National Endowment

for the Humanities, and the Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation.

From Virginia Humanities, this is backstory.

Welcome to backstory, the show that explains the history behind today's headlines.

I'm Brian Ballot.

And if you're new to the podcast, each week my colleagues Joanne Freeman, Ed Ayers,

Nathan Connelly and I, explore an aspect of American history that's been in the news.

This week we're digging into an age old question.

What makes a man?

Earlier this year, just in time for the Super Bowl, Razor Maker Gillette released its latest

ad campaign, which quickly got people talking.

It's called, The Best Men Can Be, the ad starts by featuring clips of men behaving badly.

Some are harassing women, others are fighting, and it's all summed up with a simple phrase.

Boys will be boys.

But then, the booming voice in the ad says, something changed.

But something finally changed.

Allegations regarding sexual assault and sexual harassment.

And there will be no going back.

Because we believe in the best in men.

Some critics denounce the ads as the latest in what many people call, woke washing, a

tactic used by brands to cash in on social movements.

Others claimed it was too hard on men that it shamed them rather than helped them.

...