Smoking has always been a vice of the American people. Cigarettes were introduced to the American people in the 19th century. Even before this, men got their tobacco fix on pipes and chewing tobacco. Tobacco was advertised as a heath aide recommended by doctors nationwide. Smoking was said to ease your nerves, improve your health and improve your physical image. Smoking now, looks a little different. Cigarettes are used by celebrities, actors and musicians. Americans are influenced by what they watch on tv and in the movies. But why are Americans ok with picking up the nasty habit just to "look cool?"
The movie Thank You for Smoking can give some insight as to why people are willing to pick up a cigarette. Nick Naylor (played by Aaron Eckhart) is a handsome and charming cigarette lobbyist who works for pro-smoking companies. Nick comes up with a campaign using Hollywood actors smoking on screen to persuade the audience to smoke. Unfortunately this isn't only a practice in fiction. Big movies like The Great Gatsby, Forrest Gump, even 101 Damlations and Alladin all have characters that smoke cigarettes. Americans children are growing up with characters who they idolize that smoke cigarettes, then they grow up to watch more mature films where yet again, the characters are glamorizing smoking. It's no wonder almost 32.4 million Americans have an addiction to cigarettes.
Now, teenagers are putting down cigarettes and picking up vaping products. Vapes are electronic cigarettes, sometimes targeted at teens with fun flavors and bright colors. Teens may feel that vaping is the safer option to pick up the cool habit just like their favorite celebrities. Companies like Juul and Puff purposely target teens to get them to pick up a vape. They use bright colored vapes and fun flavors to entice the young smokers. A vape company called "Vape Craft Inc" even offered a $4000 scholarship to seniors in high school. This can easily be attributed to the teen smoking epidemic. Big vape companies should make targeted ads that are only aimed towards adults, should reduce the amount of flavors to only tobacco flavors and increase laws allowing minors to purchase these products.
Why is it that companies that produce things that kids shouldnt have always find a way to make it apealing or cool for kids to be doing or buy.
ReplyDeleteI think this is an example of how history repeats itself. As soon as people stopped thinking cigarettes were cool they started thinking vapes were. I know some states are moving the tobacco age to 21 to try and stop teens from smoking. Do you think companies might start showing vapes in movies like they used to do with cigarettes?
ReplyDeleteCigarette companies have found a way to take advantage of the age of technology that we live in today and making their own version of an electronic piece: an electronic cigarette. We all know that cigarettes are bad for you, but cigarette companies use enticing and persuasive marketing strategies to target the teen audience to buy their Juuls or Puff Bars
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great example of how our world works today. Each day, the age marketing targets gets lower and lower, and eventually, it will start over again. I think teens are the primary target of selling anything, especially tobacco. Throughout teenage years, individuals are trying to be accepted by everyone in order to feel good about themselves, and if one person smokes, the others will follow, and marketing is aware of this, so if they can get their product in the hands of the young, they are set.
ReplyDeleteI think that you did great in showing how different generations all picked up these types of things. I wonder if actors smoke on screen to convince people to smoke, or because people already smoke. In movies characters are tried to be made believable and relatable, so that could also have something to do with them smoking. I also think that there needs to be a deeper look into WHY people start. Yes people start because of peer pressure, but is there a deeper reason than that?
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you explained how the addiction of smoking has changed over time. I agree with your connection to the movie to how people smoke just because it is "cool". It is very apparent to our generation to smoking. I believe most people currently just do things these days because "it's cool".
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