The Meaning of a SOLO Cup

The average college student uses the term “going out” to refer to going out with friends somewhere to drink alcohol and often with the aim of getting drunk. This is thought to be part of the college experience but there is reason why this is part of the culture. Part of the issue is the advertising industry that has the obvious goal to sell more alcohol. The other issue is that many students find this drinking culture a determinant of a true college experience.

Looking at the history of the “Red Solo Cup” it is interesting to see how sometimes there are more people to blame for marketing consequences than the professional advertisers.

While the SOLO brand did not intend to be the cup associated with messy alcohol consumption, they do go along with this campaign. Why would a company not go along with a marketing campaign that a target demographic practically created for themselves? 

The following image is a screenshot of the SOLO Cup website:

It is obvious from this image and many others that holding a red SOLO Cup indicates that one is having fun at a social gathering. Even though many students say that they do not like this drinking culture, it is a cyclical cycle where people use these cups because they want to look like the pictures and then the pictures are created to look more like the wild parties that everyone should want to be at. 

The movie Spin the bottle: Sex, lies, and alcohol shows how college students feel that they must drink to be accepted and have fun even though they do not always like the outcomes of their drinking. The problem is the idea of "FOMO" (fear of missing out). Everyone simply wants to feel accepted a part of the social group.

What people don’t talk about is the different levels of being drunk. Students will sometimes come back from a long exam and say it’s time to get drunk but the word drunk is not well defined. At what point does someone go from being tipsy to being drunk? Is the average college student aiming to be tipsy or drunk? And do all students hope to reach the same level of intoxication when they are drinking to get drunk? If not, there are many concerns as to why so many students have a loss of memory of nights so often when drinking. The biggest issue here is the blurred line of meaning when it comes to defining being "drunk," as well as the fact that social drinking is uncommon but drinking with a purpose of getting drunk is seen as the norm.

• Ridberg, R., Katz, J., Kilbourne, J., & Media Education Foundation. (2004). Spin the bottle: Sex, lies and alcohol. Northampton, MA: Media Education Foundation.