¶ … alcohol and its consumption. On television, billboards, and in magazines, images of beautiful and exotic people enjoying alcoholic beverages mix with funny quips and skits that relate to alcohol. But are these images irresponsible? Do they promote alcohol consumption by minors and even alcohol abuse? I will prove that they do encourage minors to drink illegally by promoting alcohol in a manner than is particularly attractive to teens -- peer pressure. In the interest of being brief, I will use only two specific commercial types: that of the beautiful woman who is attracted to a male drinking a certain beverage and the commercial that appeals to both sexes that is more of an entertaining advertisement for how much fun can be had when drinking. The first appeals directly to males, leading them to believe that somehow beautiful women are drawn to a certain type of drink. Teenage males are particularly susceptible to this type of message, as their hormones are at a peak level and their judgement had not fully developed from real-world experience. The second is more of a catch-all that is also particularly attractive to females; it symbolizes...

"Americans between the ages of 12 and 20 saw 45% more beer ads, 27% more hard liquor ads and 54% more ads for "malternatives" such Smirnoff Ice and Bacardi Silver, than adults over the age of 21." (Wooley 2002) The simple fact that teenagers are more susceptible to peer pressure and societal pressures than their adult counterparts leads to the conclusion that if teens are subjected to more messages that "alcohol is cool," they will be more likely to seek it out.
Although bans on alcohol advertising have been ruled unconstitutional (Problems and Solutions, online), many cities have taken steps to prevent the general public, specifically minors, from viewing these ads. San Diego, Baltimore, and Oakland have all banned alcohol-related billboards (Scenic America, online). These cities believe that the fewer images of alcohol consumption are viewed by the underage public, the less that minors…