When I was growing up smoking used to almost be a non-issue. It wasn't viewed as particularly great, but people didn't hate on the habit that often either, at least not outside health warnings from your doctor or the surgeon general. I didn't give much thought to it either way - it was just a regular part of life to see people smoking. Cut to today. There are some major campaigns to stop people from smoking. It seems to me that the habit has become almost a social pariah in many circles. While looking online for something related I found a forum about smoking appreciation - but most of the posts were from people poo-pooing the habit, and insisting smokers try to cut it out of their lives. (Also lots of claims that the forum was secretly run by a tobacco company.) I suppose my question, then, is whether or not the cigarette industry could ever redeem itself. Do you think cigarettes will ever be a 'cool' thing again, like they used to be in so many ad campaigns? Or are cigarettes too tainted to make a social comeback?
Cigarettes are still pretty "cool" among teenagers and different groups, though many replaces it with marijuana because, as you stated, it became a normal thing to see people smoking. It may be "back in trend", but I don't think it will have the same impact and popularity it had before never again. I remember when smoking wasn't so common and the packs were pretty cheap. Now almost everyone smokes (including 95% of the people I know) and the packs are really expensive.
I have had a family member recently die from cigarettes. Cigs are so ingrained into our culture. Just look back into old movies and what are people doing? Smokin in clubs and anywhere else. No one was concerned about its risk back then.
I feel like they are still 'cool' in plenty of circles. I've seen Victoria's Secret models post images of them smoking on instagram. I think it's so pervasive that it just spreads out into many facets of advertising. It's a shame though! Hopefully one day it will reduce further. It's come a long way though, especially in the last 20 years!
Personally I don't think the cigarette industry will ever be as popular as it once was because nearly every month now there seems to be a new campaign popping up warning against the dangers of smoking. While I think people will always smoke, the popularity will diminish the more and more the price goes up and the more people hear about the health issues that are associated with it.
I think in our country, smoking is still considered 'cool' especially by teenagers and adolescents. I never really see any campaign against cigarette smoking here. The rules are also very lenient when it comes to smoking in public or selling cigarettes to minors. In my mind, smoking is tainted but I see that for most people here, it still isn't. Even the poorest people who struggle to have three meals a day, smoke cigarettes.
Well someone needs to tell these "cool kids" that smelling like cigs is NOT cool. Neither is having an addiction that you cant control. Maybe it is the act of getting away with something bad that makes some adolescents smoke.
It's all about fads, and, as we all know, they come and go. In the 50s, people who didn't smoke were squares. It was part of the fashion in those days. It's like that with everything. Here's an example: I play guitar, and when I started playing, a beat-up guitar was considered crap to everyone, no matter what brand it was. People wanted them shiny and new looking. Nowadays, that's the way people want them, all beat-up. I can't believe people fork thousands of dollars for a guitar with a relic job. So, at the end of the day, it's all just monkey see, monkey do.
I doubt they'll make a comeback. People will continue to buy cigarettes but you know what they say about smokers - they're a dying breed!
@Jasmine2015 I agree - it's not cool to have an addiction control you. That's one of the things that played on my mind a lot when I was a smoker. I didn't like the feeling that something was in control of me. It dictated when I would take a break from my work, get out of bed, go outside at a concert etc.
I've never heard that one before.. But I'm stealing it! They definitely are a dying breed - and I've seen to many people be buried because of it. If I could turn back the clock and change the decisions I've made with smoking.... I'd do it in a heart beat. I feel like I really cheated my life.
I think the government campains need to be aimed more at trying to stop people from starting smoking in the first place rather than the people who already smoke. They're addicted to the nicotine already so no matter how much they want to stop they'll find it hard, and they have to find their own way to deal with it.
I think cigarettes are still seen as "cool" by some people. I think people look cool while smoking. I know a lot of other people think others look kinda cool while smoking. It's just a "cool" concept. However, I think that health is starting to outweigh looking cool.
I don't think cigarettes have lost their "cool" rep, but the anti-smoking movement is making major headway. Before it was found that cigarettes lead to cancer, smoking was commonplace and just seen as a regular habit. My high school actually had a smoking section back in the 50s. Now that we are more informed on the dangers of smoking, tobacco companies are starting to get a tainted image, but I don't think it will impact sales for long time smokers. People who are new to smoking or wanted to try it might be affected by the reputation.
I doubt they will ever have a comeback... I mean, we are learning more and more about how dangerous smoking is each day that passes by. So having this info... most people knowing how bad it is, I doubt there will ever be a comeback. The cigarette companies would need to be totally shameless to even try it... But yes, I remember those times when Malboro actually created cool ads with that cowboy... The youngest generation missed that
Advertising and product placement played a major part in how successful cigarettes became, even being the major sponsors of a lot of the main sporting events around the world. Them days are well and truly in the past and while it's true that the no smoking campaign continues to grow, cigarettes are still refusing to go extinct just yet.
I agree that smoking will always be considered cool and manly, depending on the person's age, it has been that way for so long and I think it's already ingrained in the cigarette smoking culture. Older people I think consider smoking as a bane as compared to younger people that still think that it's cool.
Teenagers think smoking is cool and that's why they start out, but after a while they'll realize that impressing their friends isn't something worth it anymore. They try to quit but they suddenly realize that getting rid of this addiction is no joke, and here they are as adults who pay more than $250 monthly just for cigarettes (that's the norm here in Romania).
Although there are no cigarette ads on here anymore, I think some still see it as a cool thing. I could still see some group of people or teenagers smoking together and they exposed themselves doing it so, probably because they think it is cool. Even the people around them look bad at them or even comment like what a nasty smell, they just continue smoking and not care at all.
Sadly there are people who don't care about there health. Even tho there's a lot of knowledge about things that are bad for you, some people still do it. Not to long ago I've seen teenagers smoking cigarettes. If your addicted to cigarettes then it wouldn't matter if it was cool or not you'd still smoke.