Transport bosses have apologised and removed a poster in a train station ladies’ toilet after it was branded ‘sexist’ by a furious commuter.
Fleur Bone took to Twitter arguing the advert’s message amounted to ‘slut-shaming’, suggesting women who ‘drink too much’ were at fault for any ‘sexual offences’ suffered on a night out.
The poster, which she spotted on a wall in the ladies’ loos at King’s Cross Station in London, shows a woman in a busy bar, holding a cocktail and singing karaoke next to a man.
Warnings on either side of the image read: ‘Having a few drinks? Make sure losing your voice is the only thing you’ll regret tomorrow’ and ‘Stay safe around the railway or you might regret it’.
British Transport Police (BTP) and Network Rail, who produced the poster, apologised for any offence caused, insisting it was intended to reduce alcohol-induced injuries on the railway.
They said the poster did not ‘get the [intended] message across clearly’.
But Ms Bone, a 34-year-old TV producer, said the ad was ‘sinister’ and could trigger sexual assault victims.
‘It’s a thing you see isn’t it, an advert of a woman drinking having a nice time but insinuating it could all go wrong for her and it would all be her fault.
‘So it pissed me off and I took a picture of it. The tone was quite threatening and as I said, sort of slut-shaming as like you drink too much you might go home with this guy and probably regret it.
She added: ‘When I saw it and from what it said I assumed it was an advert suggesting women shouldn’t drink too much otherwise they’ll be taken advantage of.
‘As per usual the onus being put on women to not drink rather than men to not take advantage.’
BTP have since suggested it was left up by mistake after bosses realised it could cause offence two years ago.
Ms Bone said the ad was targeted at women, as it appeared only in the ladies’ toilets and not on any platforms.
She continued: ‘The specific threat is that if you’re a woman, and you dare to drink, and not stay 100% alert all the time, you’re responsible for any harm that befalls you, such as sexual offences.
‘I think a victim of sexual assault seeing that advert would not feel great. The ad is sinister.’
A BTP spokesperson said: ‘This poster was created as part of a joint awareness campaign with Network Rail for the 2019 Christmas period. The campaign aim was to highlight the dangers of being intoxicated on the railway, as a result of spikes in alcohol-related injuries at this time.
‘We acknowledge how this could have been otherwise interpreted, and the posters were immediately removed from circulation in December 2019.
“The poster at King’s Cross station has now been removed, and we apologise for any offence it caused.”
A spokesperson for Network Rail added they were also ‘sorry for any offence the poster has caused’.
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