In a recent 2007 report, we learn that cigarette smoking is said to have been rare among women in the early 20th century. It became prevalent among women only after men embraced tobacco use.
“In 2005, 20.3 million (18.1 percent) of women smoked in the United States,” says the American Lung Association.
Recently, a new World Conference on Tobacco or Health report shows that young girls are smoking cigarettes almost as much as young boys. Survey results also show that girls and boys are also using non-cigarette tobacco products such as spit tobacco, bidis, and water pipes at similar rates, and that these rates are often as high as or higher than youth cigarette smoking rates.
According to another reputable study, more than one out of every five high school girls is a current smoker. Smoking rates among males and females in high school are almost equal now – 22.9 males and 23.0 females are current smokers.
Sadly, women who are role models for younger women and teens, smoke almost as much as men smoke – 18.1 percent of American women smoke compared to 23.9 men.
In other words, more than 12 million adult women and 1.8 million girls currently smoke.
This is really scary, ladies. Even as we read daily about the health issues costing our country our best resources – our precious young people – females seem to be on a lemming-like race to hospitals and morgues.
Still asking “why, why, why”? Here’s one thought provoking fact.
“Six years after the introduction of Virginia Slims and other brands aimed at the female market, the smoking initiation rate of 12-year-old girls had increased by 110 percent.
Increases among teenage girls of other ages were also substantial,” says the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, located in Washington, DC.
In my humble opinion, those figures translate into big bucks for the tobacco industry but a real rip-off of our kids’ health and our society.
Why do girls and young women use tobacco products?
There are several reasons and they all appeal to girls’ and women’s desire to be attractive, slim, and independent and sought after.
One of the most powerful incentives to start and continue smoking is the “image ad.”
Tobacco companies know what they are doing and they are very, very good at what they do. They are whizzes at public relations and spend millions to buy the most effective advertising campaigns money can buy. They hire artists and writers who are geniuses at manipulation. They pay big bucks for the most provocative and subliminally effective campaign psychologists, campaign creators, artists, and wordsmiths.
Females are a major target of Tobacco Company advertising. Does anyone remember the powerful “You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby” sales campaign? I do. Every sexy, glamorous pose that could be contrived beckoned to young women to smoke. Gorgeous models’ outfits were snazzy enough to make any woman sit up and take notice – AND DO ANYTHING TO IDENTIFY WITH THESE GORGEOUS BABES. The message said loud and clear that if you smoked, you were liberated, glamorous, ultra feminine – and Skinny. Slim. Willowy. Movie-star gorgeous. SLIM. Slim. Slim.
And how about the product name – “Virginia Slims?” None too subtle but wow, was it psychologically effective!
Females from the family teen to grandma bought the hype and considered tobacco cigarettes – and sometimes even cigars – a “diet smoke.” Believe this and I have a nice little bridge in Brooklyn I’ll sell you cheap.
The truth is simple: When you smoke, you don’t eat. If you cut back on your eating without smoking, you will still lose weight. If you lift a few light weights a couple of times a week and cut back on the bread, you will lose weight. If you walk around the Mall a couple of times three times a week, you will lose weight. And you won’t be spending your vacation-makeup-trendy clothes or charity “be kind to others a bit” free money for overly gussied-up boxes of packaged disaster.
Incidentally, Phillip Morris has proved that it does not necessarily need feminine imagery to capture the female market. Sexy male images can also influence females and their smoking habits. The Marlboro man with his rugged good looks and outdoorsy sexy image influenced women to smoke more Marlboros than any other brand.
Okay, I can hear you saying, “That’s old stuff. They don’t even have those ads anymore.
Fine. Let’s fast forward to June 21, 2007 and the Christian Broadcasting Network. CBNNews and their Health and Science section. Its article reported on the most recent R.J. Reynolds tobacco company’s method of marketing cigarettes to young females.
CBN’s interview with Matthew Myers of the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids and Rep. Lois Capps of California describes the packaging, magazine ads and “blogging” connected with Reynolds’ new tobacco cigarette. Camel Number 9’s name is an obvious play on “Chanel No. 5”, an oldie but goodie perfume with an excellent reputation as a “classy” product.
R.J. Reynolds’ newly plugged cigarettes are all dressed up in feminine black and pink. Its ad copy calls this little nicotine bomb “light and luscious.” Cigarettes “luscious”? Oh, come on, R.J.
Light cigarettes have long been known to be no more safe than regular cigarettes and as for being “luscious,” are we talking about eating cigarettes?
Reynolds’ company adds some recruiting “bling” with free rhinestone lighters and stickers for females who hopefully might be tempted by Reynolds’ “freebies” to start smoking. The tobacco companies, as you might remember, “hooked” athletes with the same “freebie” come-ons in earlier decades.
In addition, a new advert method, using so called “unbiased” bloggers, may be helping to float this boat. Several bloggers – who may or may not be Reynolds’ “hired hands” – are reported by CBN folks to have put up Camel Number 9 pages on kid-friendly web sites hurrahing these fancy wrapped nicotine sticks. It was reported by CBN that one blogger referred to Camel No 9’s as cigarettes for “14- year-old-girls.” Another suggested that little girls might want to match their nail polish with these pink and black packaged smokes.
Unbiased bloggers, did I say?
As was said in the very funny movie, “America’s Sweethearts,” “Pardon me for saying this but you [they?] would sell my mother to China for medical experiments.” . . .
Okay, you get what I think of folks who deal in drugs . . . even “legal” ones. Been there, done that, don’t want anyone else to become victimized likewise.
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