Ladyspeak for Selling Booze to Ladies

Published on Monday, February 27, 2012, by Joyce Slaton / Edit Post

Cigarette makers were the first to market to women. In the 1920s, Marlboro touted "ivory tips protect the lips" (lungs, however, were left to fend for themselves). And Lucky Strike urged females who wanted to keep their figures to "reach for a Lucky instead of a sweet." No doubt the campaign eventually succeeded in making many smokers emaciated indeed.

Since that time, when companies wanted to appeal to women, they made the packaging (and sometimes even the stuff inside) pink 'n' girly. That's what some booze makers have done in recent years, resulting in things like sex liqueurs and Chick Beer. The latter comes in bottles with a black corset on the label and a purselike six-pack (pictured). Gag me.

Lately, though, there's been an uptick in booze marketing to women, and it's much, much worse than beer in bustiers. Jezebel blogger Cassie Murdoch recently tried to rinse out the bad taste of promotional copy for Be.'s "ladies' wines," but there's plenty more where that came from. Here are four examples of marketing copy that could have been stolen from reruns of Sex and the City—that is, if the series had been scripted by Elle Woods:

Sassy Bitch Wine: "Sassy Bitch Chardonnay is blonde and beautiful! ... What can she say? She's young and fresh!"

Van Gogh Blue Vodka: "Come unbottled with the only premium triple wheat vodka that’s guaranteed to be smoother than most of the men you meet out at the bars. Okay, all. Sometimes a girl just wants to shake things up a bit. ... That’s why Van Gogh Vodka has been serving up five-star rated flavors that are smoother than silk sheets for ... well, the exact number doesn’t matter."

Skinnygirl Sangria: "[O]ur Sangria—in true Skinnygirl Cocktails fashion—is refreshing and delicious, low in calories ... and it uses white grapes, so it’s clear in color ... meaning you get to worry less about spills and stains."

Pucker Sour Apple Sass: "In the mood for a cocktail that isn't shy? One that has a little edge, a little playful attitude? Try one made with Sour Apple Sass and bite your tongue!" Cherry Tease, another Pucker flavor, promises "full cherry explosion." Pour out the cheap flavored vodka—I'll totally have what she's having.

Image source: Chick Beer

CHOW contributor Joyce Slaton is an editor and writer in San Francisco. She takes her tea with sugar and milk and will sew you an apron if you ask nicely. Follow her on Twitter. Follow CHOW, too, and become a fan on Facebook.

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POST A COMMENT |12 Comments

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  • @ noramunro - I'm not your typical average chick drinker, either. I prefer reds, the heavier, the better. One of the guys I went to school with, big guy. Weighed about 2.5 times my 125lbs and almost a foot taller than me. He was not able to handle Mackeson Triple XXX Stout. I have no problem with it.
    The Brazilian balloon crew I worked with this last October was impressed that I can handle...+READ

    @ noramunro - I'm not your typical average chick drinker, either. I prefer reds, the heavier, the better. One of the guys I went to school with, big guy. Weighed about 2.5 times my 125lbs and almost a foot taller than me. He was not able to handle Mackeson Triple XXX Stout. I have no problem with it.
    The Brazilian balloon crew I worked with this last October was impressed that I can handle cachaça, until they found out that I drink a lot of single malt. The girliest think I drink may be Guinness!

    Guinness tried to market a lighter version "for the ladies" in the late '70s. Failed miserably.

    @ heinousmojo - She probably hasn't. I haven't. But we've tasted enough. Not to mention the fact that the marketing leaves such a bad taste in the mouth, you don't even want to try it.-COLLAPSE

  • They're essentially large wine coolers. They're not real wine, but they are delicious. Plus, they're usually like, 3 bucks, so, if you drink three whole 750ml bottles, you'll be in lala land for about 10 bucks!

  • I'm not sure if the Arbor Mist "wines" have ever seen a vineyard. Yes, it's marketed towards women but the quality is extremely bad. "Good wine" doesn't have to be marketed towards any particular demgraphic.

  • Is all of the Arbor Mist wine drinks still count as marketed to women? Because I love those. Three 750ml bottles in my belly make for a wonderful evening.

  • Some of the wines marketed at women occasionally show up at events my women's social club hosts, and while I don't know enough about wine to tell the reasonably drinkable from the truly good, I can tell the truly godawful from the reasonably drinkable, and most of the girlie wines fall firmly into the truly godawful category. And that's coming from someone who generally prefers unchallenging,...+READ

    Some of the wines marketed at women occasionally show up at events my women's social club hosts, and while I don't know enough about wine to tell the reasonably drinkable from the truly good, I can tell the truly godawful from the reasonably drinkable, and most of the girlie wines fall firmly into the truly godawful category. And that's coming from someone who generally prefers unchallenging, off-dry whites, so should fall into their target audience.-COLLAPSE

  • How about a few sips of Summers Eve? Refreshing yet flavorful.

  • How many of these products have you actually tasted, eatongal? Or are you just assuming that they're not quality products? On what basis? Do you also object to products that are gender-marketed to men (e.g. have you ever seen a beer ad?)

  • All of these end up tasting completely terrible. Not only is the marketing condescending tripe, they don't even bother to put passable products in the packaging. Insulting.

  • Oh good grief. This is so sickening - especially that Be. crud in the Jezebel link. God forbid we ladies worry our pretty little heads actually acquire any knowledge about anything that isn't about prettyfying ourselves for the mens. Sheesh. Most of the time I'd call myself pretty traditional and not 'feminist' as such (I'm a SAHM, for example) but this sort of thing makes my blood boil.

  • @noramunro Yes, I hate, hate, hate anything that is marketed as "girly". It's either a pink version of another product, or some horrid food item that's supposed to keep us skinny.

  • Does this kind of marketing actually work? When I see stuff like this in the liquor store I walk briskly away, but I may not be typical of the average chick who drinks.

  • You missed this lovely example: http://jezebel.com/5887924/finally-some-wine-the-ladies-can-enjoy

    I. Be. Appalled.