Chinese adverts linking alcohol to female promiscuity banned by watchdogs

The ads depict women receiving a burst of confidence after drinking the beverage

China’s media regulators have called on broadcasters to stop airing alcoholic beverage ads which show women getting a confidence boost with men by drinking it.

Several advertisements for Want Want China Holding’s Sawow drink - a malt-based beverage flavoured with fruits - depict women confidently approaching men after drinking from the product’s pink-coloured bottle.

The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television has since issued a statement claiming that the Taiwanese company’s ads “misguide the development of young people.”

In one of the clips, a visibly shy woman is shown trying to approach a man she is romantically interested in.

After two failed attempts, she drinks a glass of the fizzy pink Sawow and is subsequently shown successfully engaging with him having peaked his interest with her newfound courage.

In another, after a few sips of the beverage, a woman is shown jumping into the arms of a male volleyball player she had been too nervous to approach previously. She then kisses him to the delight of a cheering crowd.

A third clip shows a visibly distraught woman reaching for a glass of Sawow after ending an emotional phone call.

After just a few sips, she begins smiling and reclining on an armchair while lusting after a topless male model on a magazine cover.

The drink is made up of 3.5 per cent alcohol and is sold in peach and lychee flavours.

According to Sawow’s brand manager, the brand has been specifically designed to appeal to women.

At a press conference in March, he described it as “a new cocktail specifically designed for the female market,” reports Quartz.

While some could argue that the ads depict a progressive narrative of sexually liberated women, others point out that the underlying message is problematic for young consumers.

“Before we celebrate gender liberation, we should think about how the alcohol functions in the advertisements,” said gender studies professor Elizabeth LaCouture, who teaches at the University of Hong Kong.

“In the end, the product and the advertisements suggest the need to teach and discuss responsible alcohol consumption in Chinese secondary schools and on Chinese university campuses, and how to have healthy dating relationships without alcohol,” she told Quartz.

The Independent has contacted Want Want for comment.