Slutty, Wasted Girl Teaches Us Not to Drink and Drive

Drinking too much is bad. Urging people to drink safely and stay away from their car after a few beers is good. Using a half-naked chick to tell people drinking too much is bad, especially if they want to drive…is confusing.

Arrive Alive, an organization devoted to ending drunk driving, has recently begun a prevention campaign that consists of lifelike stickers of a totally wasted girl in both men’s and women’s restrooms. The girl in the men’s restroom sticker is sitting with her thigh-high stockinged legs apart, eyes drooping, as though she’s just stumbled into the wrong bathroom and collapsed on the floor. I’ll sober up when I’m behind the wheel, her black shirt states.

The same girl is featured in the women’s restroom sticker, except this time, she’s on all fours, presuming throwing up, her thong underwear clearly showing. I just need to get it out of my system, her shirt explains.

While the idea is certainly a good one, I wonder why the campaign is using a barely-clothed girl as their image. Surely they’re not saying all women who drink too much are sluts? Surely they’re not saying women are the only ones who make stupid decisions when it comes to alcohol? Surely they’re not trying to turn men on, perpetuating the “drunk and easy” stereotype?

The argument that an image of a scantily clad girl catches people’s eye is kind of bullshit when we’re talking about a campaign intended to produce healthy choices. How healthy is it to use a wasted girl to get the attention of men? How healthy is it to emphasize a drunk woman’s sexuality?

What do you think? Just enough shock to scare people straight? Or sexually exploitive?