# Faux Political PSAs The 'Legitimate Drowning' Ad Hilariously Parodies Todd Akin By Jennifer Gosnell | Published 2012-09-08 | Pop Culture Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/legitimate-drowning References: [buzzfeed](http://www.buzzfeed.com/annanorth/legitimate-rape-meet-legitimate-drowning) & [breanieswordvomit.tumblr](http://breanieswordvomit.tumblr.com/) After Todd Akin, the U.S Representative in Missouri's 2nd congressional district, made comments on women's reproductive rights and rape that essentially destroyed his current public standing, the 'Legitimate Rape' [parody](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/break-from-artificial) has taken off and given birth to the 'Legitimate Drowning' PSA. The Legitimate Drowning PSA warns of the dangers of using floatation devices and the life-saving techniques medical professionals use to save those who have drowned. Rather than acknowledging the use of floatation devices as a preventative measure for drowning, they hysterical ad plays on the idea that they "encourage risky behaviours." The clear comparison between legitimate drowning and legitimate rape as both ridiculous ideas has an amazing ability to get right to the bottom line in both situations. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 4.7/10 - Popularity: 53% | Activity: 80% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 30% men, 70% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Pop Culture](https://www.trendhunter.com/popculture) > [Media](https://www.trendhunter.com/media) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Parody Psas:** Parody public service announcements are gaining popularity as a way to bring attention to important issues with humor and satire. - **Controversial Public Figures:** Public figures who make controversial statements are becoming increasingly popular targets for satire and parody. - **Social Commentary Through Humor:** Satirical and humorous campaigns are achieving more social commentary and engagement than traditional serious campaigns. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Advertising:** Ad agencies could incorporate more humor and satire into their campaigns to increase engagement and bring more attention to important issues. - **Political Campaigning:** Political campaigns could use parody as a way to address controversial topics and make light of opponents' views. - **Public Relations:** PR firms could use humor and satire to help clients recover from damaging comments or scandals by gaining back public trust through entertaining campaigns. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Law-Criticizing Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/liquid-death1.md) - [Safe Consumption Swimmer Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/malibu-dont-drink-and-dive.md) - [Pro-Abortion Pleasure Toys](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dame.md) - [Haunting Tech Safety PSAs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/centre-for-child-protection.md) - [Gun Violence Prevention Films](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sandy-hook-promise.md) - [Car Safety-Promoting PSAs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/never-happens-campaign.md) - [Cheeky Swimmer Spirit Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tom-daley-and-malibu.md) - [Hilarious Female-Supporting Beer Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/beaver-water.md) - [Winter Alcohol-Safety Initiatives](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/winter-water-safety.md)