1. Girls’ Night Outcry: misrepresentation and sensationalismin CBC’s “Girls’ Night Out”
Andrew D. Haskett – Editor-in-Chief
Hannah Hutchinson – News Editor
Girls’ Night Out is a crisis of conscience and representation. Directed by independent filmmakers Phyllis
Ellis and Donald Brittain, Girls Night Out is a sensationalist 44 minute misdirection in ethical and just
reporting. Although not explicitly named, the documentary takes place at an unknown regional Nova
Scotian university during what is known as “homecoming”, a celebration of returning students and alumni
from past graduating years,and where there is an explicit feeling of merriment and university pride.
Published and produced as a CBC Firsthand report, the documentary goes to great lengths to create a
climate of epidemic where drinking amongst female youth has reached a level wherein sexual violence,
crime, and bodily destruction is a common result. The basic premise of the documentary has merit. Binge-
drinking and a drinking culture that normalizes getting black-out drunk is something worth assessing,but
it is not the female-centered catastrphe it is presented to be.
Alcohol consumption is certainly an issue amongst individuals from a variety of backgrounds, regardless
of sex, creed,nationality, or any other identifiable social situation. That being said, one of the most
glaring oversights in the documentary is the absence of the discussion of males. Leah McLaren,in her
article “CBC’s “Girls Night Out” Is a Patronizing, Fact-adverse Travesty” says that “Heavy drinking in
Canada is marginally up, but young women are certainly not the culprits … It’s the middle-aged moms
and dads, sitting in their renovated kitchens cracking a second bottle of wine … who are truly cause for
concern.” The documentary may intend to have a focus on girls and young women, but it fails to
acknowledge the instances of male binge drinking and other contributions of males to the university
drinking culture depicted. By presenting this as a female-only issue, the documentary not only reinforces
rigid gender binaries, but also the idea that young women are to blame for university binge drinking
cultures.
The documentary also examines the experiences of a select group of women who have had traumatic and
negative experiences with the alcohol, but does so in a way of almost hyper-trivializing their experiences
to a standard that is normative of a regular Western drinking culture. In the eyes of the producers, these
women are the norm: young women drink and are therefore at the risk of death and bodily danger. The
film does an exceptional job of sensationalizing but also invalidating the claims of these women, some of
whom are victims of serious substance abuse issues and have made extended efforts to move past them.
Another major error in the documentary is the generalising way in which women are portrayed. This
presentation assumes all women to have the same experiences, opinions, feelings and values. Sweeping
claims are made that blatantly support damaging female stereotypes. There is mention of how girls who
supposedly dress up do so just to look good for males, all while competing and comparing with other
girls. According to another source,girls skip meals and make themselves puke after the bar, not from
overindulgence, but because girls are always worrying about their weight. Although the young women do
voice these views, one can’t help but wonder why the film-makers asked them questions about this in the
first place. How does the discussion of supposed inter-female competition relate to what the film is
supposed to speak to? By including this, the documentary is aiding to perpetuate misogynistic thinking
and gender role stereotypes that negatively impact females. Not to mention that the filmmakers sought out

2. personal anecdotes only to demonize the students who offered their own experiences, opinions, and
struggles with alcohol in a way that was likely not anticipated.
Another instance of essentializing is that of the ‘typical’ experience of university students in relation to
drinking and partying habits. Statements about binge drinking like “it’s what everyone’s doing every
weekend” and “I drink just to get drunk, and I think that’s what most people do” is presenting the
experience of only some students at university. The documentary takes personal and anecdotal evidence,
presents it as universalizing fact, and then accompanies such shots with inapplicable statistics.
Furthermore, the documentary focuses heavily on a relationship between alcohol and sexual assault.
Flashing across the screen is bold text stating “Alcohol is involved in 9/10 rape cases on college
campuses”. Not only is this an American statistic, but it is misleading viewers to come to the conclusion
that rape is a consequence of alcohol, and not because of rapists. A mere 20 seconds is dedicated to
discussing rape culture and the wider societal and systemic issues that lead to sexual assault. One
important claim is made that rape prevention should include teaching boys not to rape as opposed to
teaching girls to not get raped. This is far from the tone of the rest of the documentary which seems to
carry a tone of victim-blaming. One of the women featured discusses waking up in jail after having her
drink drugged at a bar. The issue of the person who drugged her drink was glazed over, and instead the
woman fights back tears as she talks about the cop who told her she had ony herself to blame because of
where and with whom she spent her time drinking.
A question posed by a prominent source asks: “Why do women not listen when we tell them that drinking
is bad for them?” A better question would be, why do we feelthe need to police and blame individual
women for the harm inflicted upon them while drinking instead of criticizing and attempting to change
the wider attitude towards alcohol and the drinking culture in North America? This question remains.