Hey Gillette boycotters, where’s the outrage for Aiia?

As Aiia Masarwe was being murdered, Australian men were losing their minds over a Gillette advert. It’s time to get some perspective, writes Sherele Moody.

On Tuesday evening, 21-year-old Aiia Masarwe hopped off a tram in the Melbourne suburb of Bundoora after spending the evening at a comedy show.

Shortly after she left the tram, the Palestinian woman with Israeli citizenship was murdered.

Police believe she was stalked in the lead-up to her death and they are investigating the possibility that she was also sexually assaulted as her clothes were in disarray.

Aiia was a young woman on the trip of a lifetime.

Her home was in China where she studied languages at Shanghai University.

She had been in Australia for some months, undertaking a program at La Trobe University and falling in love with our country.

MORE FROM SHERELE MOODY: Seven days, six dead women. When will we wake up?

As Aiia was being murdered, Australian men were losing their minds over an advertisement.

By now, you have probably viewed the two-minute Gillette promo that encourages men “to be the best they can be” by rejecting norms of masculinity that underpin major issues in our society.

Aiia Maasarwe was studying in Australia when her life was violently taken. Picture: Instagram

These are issues that impact everyone of us in some way, including high male suicide and violence rates.

Companies that sell razors have spent many decades and much moolah convincing women that body hair is unnatural.

With this advertisement Gillette might have caused some inward trauma for a lot of blokes, but it hit the ball out of the park for women, who are the primary purchasers of shaving products for the men in their lives.

The creators put on to film what so many females think about toxic masculinity — we just want men to move away from doing things like catcalling women in the street, getting into fights at the pub, refusing to open up about their emotions and, in the worst of cases, beating their partners up or killing them.

Many men have taken to social media to share their disapproval of Gillette's new ad. Picture: Twitter

Locals have begun leaving flowers and notes for Aiia. Picture: Aneeka Simonis

It has been asked over and over the past few days, how we females would feel if women were the focus of this advertisement instead of men?

For myself and the women I know, this would not be an issue.

Why? Because we understand and accept that not all women are violent, but all women should ask ourselves what we can do differently to reduce this.

If women are harming other people, then perhaps there is something our gender is doing wrong, we need to question how we reduce the underlying factors that lead to “toxic femininity”.

MORE FROM SHERELE MOODY: Male violence: How do we fix it?

Of course, #notallmen hate the Gillette advertisement and #notallmen are blinded to its message — but the negative response shows many men just don’t get it.

Today, as the news of Aiia’s death spreads across the country and we women shake our heads in despair, these same blokes continue raging about the bruising their masculinity suffered in the name of shaving cream and razors.

Their lack of outrage over the killing of Aiia shows their perspective is somewhat skewed.

Instead of being angry about this advertisement, it’s time for these men to be angry about the actions of other blokes.

Aiia was murdered in Bundoora this week. She is one of 10 people to be killed in Australia this year. Picture: Instagram

Be angry at the men who rape women — and other men.

Be angry at the men who hit women — and other men.

Be angry at the men who kill women — and other men.

Be angry at the fact that 10 people have already been killed in Australia this year, that nine of the victims are men and that all of these deaths are alleged or suspected to have occurred at the hands of men.

MORE FROM SHERELE MOODY: Time for emotional abuse to be criminalised

Men need to be angry at the men who are letting their entire gender down.

Maybe it is time for men to stop posting photos razors in toilets to social media.

Maybe, instead, they can start by speaking to other blokes about their bloody bad behaviour so that one day soon, women can venture into the evening alone, feel safe in their houses, walk their dogs along beaches or go about their lives without always looking over our shoulders.

If you don’t do it for yourself, do it for the women in your life and do it for Aiia.

News Corp journalist Sherele Moody is the recipient of the 2018 B & T Women in Media Social Change Maker Award and has multiple Clarion and Walkley Our Watch journalism excellence awards for her work highlighting violence against women and children. She is also the founder of The RED HEART Campaign and the creator of the Femicide Australia Map.

*For 24-hour domestic violence support call the national hotline 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732.

Originally published as Hey Gillette boycotters, where’s the outrage for Aiia?