It is no secret that both men and women struggle with alcohol addiction. However, as more data comes out, it has shown that women are more likely to develop addictive patterns faster than men.
Alcohol companies are capitalizing on this through advertising campaigns. The portrayal of women in the media is negatively affecting the fight against addiction for women, hindering their choice of health. This article will discuss how alcohol and retail companies market to women using subtle tricks, how this has been effective, and why this is a problem.
Taglines
“Wine Time” and “Mommy’s Juice” are used on t-shirts, wine bags, and pillows. These taglines may seem cute, but the truth of these statements is that they are perpetuating a bigger problem. As alcohol companies target women in marketing, retailers recognize the lucrative side of drinking.
By putting these lines and catchphrases on apparel, they jump on a fast-moving train where women make their addictions their accessories. It does not recognize that making drinking habits into a lifestyle category continues to hurt the women who are victims of their addiction. Their marketing is a normalization of disease, creating unhealthy standards of living.
Girl’s Night
Alcohol companies love to illustrate a group of women going out for a night on the town. They are shown laughing and having a good time as they head to their favorite bar. This positive imagery associates alcohol with a good time.
However, this brain training misleads thousands of women into thinking it is imperative to go out on Friday nights to drink and spark relationships with friends. If not done in a bar, it is framed as a girl’s night in with a movie and wine. It is not just a fun time.
While it can be enjoyable for a limited time, it is more of a pressure to be a part of a group through the action of drinking. Alcohol companies aim to make relationships revolve around drinking and socializing. This affirms that connections and relationships can only be maintained through drinking.
Low Calories
With more options for alcohol available, there is a new focus on low-calorie alcohol options. Body image has been a continual women-focused issue through social media and other avenues. Diet companies have capitalized on this through marketing to women who aren’t comfortable with their bodies or how they look. They push an image of skinny women until women believe their bodies have a problem.
Alcohol companies piggyback off this ploy by creating “diet” or “low calorie” alcohol. While this may be a lower-calorie option, they are making a misconception that fewer calories equal healthy. In no form is alcohol good for our bodies. To say that somehow excessive drinking is beneficial to our bodies is just a continued lie of alcohol marketing.
Life of a Mom
Wine companies continue to market to their prime demographic: mothers. According to NIH, this has led to the coining of the term “wine mom.” This term describes mothers who are supposedly freer from the restraints of society, active, social, and happy.
If you are a mom who doesn’t drink, it can feel like you are put into a box of being unfun. Yet, this pressure perpetuates the belief that being a mother alone is not an accomplishment. It also creates an atmosphere that is anti-health.
Wine companies make drinking wine equivalent to a therapy session, but in no way can alcohol help our mental state. A dependency should not mark a mother’s life on wine. Also, it does not require an addiction to be socially accepted.
Gender Stereotypes
On the flip side of diet culture, alcohol companies aim to appeal through gender stereotypes, style, and taste. They use designs stereotypically attributed to moms, wives, and college girls with pastels, cursive lettering, or gendered wording.
For moms, they market wine. On the other hand, they market flavored liquors, such as vodkas, to college girls. Pink Whitney’s, a pink-colored vodka, is an example of this flavored liquor meant for gendered marketing. This includes creating sugared drinks considered “smoother” or “easier-to-go-down.” Hard seltzers also fall into this category, containing reduced calories yet still delivering the perceived benefits of alcohol.
Making Changes
While markets may continue to target women, women do not have to be victims of their schemes. Everyone deserves a happy and fulfilled life, but it will not be found through alcohol. The habit of drinking only hinders growth and creates anxiety when not imbibing. Learning the tactics and choosing sobriety and treatment is the first step toward freedom. No woman should ever feel pressured to drink.
Marketing campaigns have the sole purpose of selling a product. Companies are concerned with product sales, and some may overlook problems created to achieve their goals. Alcohol consumption may be fun at first, but it has ruined the lives of many women whose health is more important than advertising.
We may know why alcohol is lethal, but sometimes it isn’t enough to change our habits. If you feel you may be struggling with a deep-rooted addiction, or are even struggling with a healthy relationship towards substances, please consider First Steps Recovery. We want to help you break away from the problems that are constraining you. Addiction hinders your happiness and growth. With marketing companies targeting us, the dependency can feel impossible to remove. Yet, once it is removed, you can begin to fully live again. We want to help you through the journey to becoming truly free. For more information about our services, please call First Steps Recovery at (844) 489-0836.
We may know why alcohol is lethal, but sometimes it isn’t enough to change our habits. If you feel you may be struggling with a deep-rooted addiction, or are even struggling with a healthy relationship towards substances, please consider First Steps Recovery. We want to help you break away from the problems that are constraining you. Addiction hinders your happiness and growth. With marketing companies targeting us, the dependency can feel impossible to remove. Yet, once it is removed, you can begin to fully live again. We want to help you through the journey to becoming truly free. For more information about our services, please call First Steps Recovery at (844) 489-0836.
