Alcohol is killing a lot more women ...

The Dark Side of Marketing

This Washington Post report is stirring up a storm for its stunning findings.

Alcohol-related fatalities among U.S. women are at an all-time high. A shocking 32% uptick from 2018 to 2020 calls for more efficient public health strategies to counteract this worrying curve. With modern marketing glamourizing the “wine all day” mantra, combating this narrative is going to be very, very challenging.

Historically, women's alcohol consumption saw a decline during pivotal life phases such as marriage and motherhood. However, as more women today delay or altogether sidestep these milestones, binge drinking becomes a prolonged habit. Delayed motherhood, recent studies suggest, significantly expands the pool of women susceptible to alcohol-related disorders.

Interestingly, it's the women at the socioeconomic top steering this shift. Escalated levels of alcohol indulgence and binge episodes are predominantly observed among those with superior educational backgrounds, higher family incomes, and prestigious occupations. The omnipresent “Life Laugh Wine” culture and the influx of female-targeted beverages like hard seltzers and canned cocktails aren't helping the cause.

The aggressive marketing targeting women evokes memories of the tobacco industry's Virginia Slims campaign, which resulted in a marked surge in female smoking rates. This calls for an urgent need for awareness campaigns emphasizing the distinct health risks women face with excessive drinking. Factors such as women’s bodies having less water to dilute alcohol, higher fat percentages retaining it, and reduced metabolic enzymes to process it, mean they are more susceptible to alcohol disorders, severe hangovers, liver complications, cardiovascular diseases, and even certain cancers than their male counterparts.

What's alarming is the prevalent ignorance among women regarding these heightened risks. 

A glass of rosé wine or a slim cigarette shouldn't be seen as symbols of progressive womanhood. 

The last time we let marketers and advertisers define contemporary femininity and the ‘modern woman’: lung cancer rates shot up and women died.

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