Think cigarette warning labels are bad? You’ve seen nothing yet.
Seemingly taking a page out of the Ontario government’s anti-smoking handbook, students at the University of Windsor are using some shocking and even disturbing imagery to encourage responsible drinking on campus.
From repulsive gore to scantily-clad women, student anti-drinking posters depict the harsh realities associated with poor drinking decisions for their Don’t Be That Guy/Don’t Be That Girl campaign.
But some of those posters have raised concerns on campus about whether they’ve crossed the line.
One poster shows the bloody and disfigured face of a man after a brutal drunk driving accident. Another depicts a young woman bending over.
“Let’s see how many guys will buy me a drink tonight,” reads the poster. “I didn’t wear this outfit for nothing.”
“That poster is so clearly something to be concerned about,” University of Windsor psychology professor Charlene Senn told CTV News Windsor. “It fits into woman-blaming myths of sexual assault and suggests that women are, in some way, responsible.”
The student who made the poster stands by her work.
“I was that girl once,” said artist Hillary Miller. “I started getting myself into really bad situations that I really regretted.”
Student reactions have been mixed.
“There’s kind of this implication that the woman in the picture is only getting dressed up for the sake of getting the attention of guys,” said one student.
“I know girls like this,” said another.
One thing’s for sure, students certainly have people thinking about alcohol abuse. Considering the staggering numbers, maybe that's not such a bad thing.
An estimated 90 per cent of Canadian university students drink alcohol while 32 per cent drink heavily at least once a month, according to a report by the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness.
With a report from CTV Windsor's Christie Bezaire
