Drink And Look Dude-Like

Do you enjoy a glass of wine? Well, bad news, drunkie. Not only are you damaging your liver, alienating friends, and killing feminism, you’re also starting to look like a man.

That’s according to this ad, which hopes to curb female drinking habits by targeting our fear of looking old and dudelike. (Does this furrowed fellow in war paint look familiar? It’s YOU after a few too many Pinot Grigios!)

The text is as follows:

Wine doesn’t just come with cheese. For women it’s also accompanied by hair loss, wrinkles, and obesity, plus the other problems like breast cancer, early menopause and memory loss.

Of course, this isn’t the first time that health campaigns have honed in on women’s fear of being old and unpretty. Anti-smoking ads targeted at women often highlight yellow teeth and premature wrinkles, stressing these visible vanity issues over invisible long-term consequences.

Should we be insulted when a health crusade — which has valid points to make about drinking and its related health risks — focuses on female attractiveness instead? Or should we just grudgingly admit that it’s an effective ploy? Let’s face it: in our appearance-obsessed culture, having a bum liver seems immediately less horrifying than looking like a dude in rouge.