The Influence Of Smoking In Movies? Should Be Banned?

Cigarettes are everywhere. These tiny objects that are held between the cusps of ones fingers hold unknown danger. They hold addictive substances and can lead to both immediate and long-term damage. Cigarettes used to be romanticized and glamourized by the media, but modern day campaigns have begun to reveal the truth about their dangerous effects. Through graphic imagery and audio choices, The Real Cost Campaign reaches out to young adults in order to demonstrate these consequences and render an emotional response of fear as well vanity by revealing an ugly side effect of smoking; distortion of skin.

1950s’ America was a society that is often described as “booming”. After our glorious victory in World War II, there was no better time to be an American. The economy of the country was booming, suburbs were being built at an unparalleled rate, and our country was in the middle of the famous, considered by some to be infamous, baby boom. America was unarguably on the rise. One famous symbol of this patriotic time in our history was the cigarette. In the 50s cigarettes did not have nearly as bad as a connotation associated with them. In fact, cigarettes were the epitome of symbols that represented the lifestyle of the rich and famous, or some seemingly unachievable level of societal excellence. During this period, it would be almost impossible to find some of Hollywood’s elite without a cigarette in hand. Also, it is worth noting that during this period, cigarettes were much cheaper to buy than today, even considering shifts in inflation. In the year 1949, with possible threats of scientific research exposing the danger of cigarettes, Camel Cigarettes released an infamous commercial that provides us as viewers today a glimpse of the hold cigarettes had on society in the time period.

Today the tobacco industry is barred from directly recruiting celebrities to endorse smoking. Therefore, tobacco companies have begun to use covert advertising in movies. This has proven to be a very profitable tactic for the tobacco companies. Covert advertising in films have helped the tobacco industry to target new users of tobacco. In this type of advertising cigarette makers receive more advertising time for their money than just a quick glance of a cigarette pack or an advertising billboard. In almost every movie with covert cigarette advertising, there are scenes in which a few of the characters smoke; typically these characters are smoking in a manner that glamorizes the use of tobacco. (Tye, J. 2010)

Did you know that according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that about 15% of adults in the U.S. use some variation of tobacco? Tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable disease and death in the United States, causing more than 480,000 deaths every year, which is approximately 1 of every 5 deaths.1 Award-winning youth tobacco prevention campaign launched by the Food and Drug Administration, The Real Cost, in their television advertisement, “Little Lungs in a Great Big World: Birthday”, describes the effect of tobacco on one's lungs through the use of satire, animation, and facts. The Real Cost’s purpose is to prevent youth from trying tobacco and to reduce tobacco use among youth already experimenting with tobacco. They use a satirical tone in order to start a conversation among youth about tobacco use and to capture their audience's attention to educate American youth on the health consequences of using tobacco.

The media and the entertainment industries have a major impact on smoking. With the help of movies and television, smoking seems

Cigarette advertising has changed throughout history from how it has been advertised, what is being advertised, and who the intended audience is. In the 60’s seeing a cigarette advertisement in the Sunday paper would just be like any other advertisement, but recent generations would be appalled to see such a gruesome product being publicized. The annual deaths from smoking cigarettes are increasing each year and doctors and scientist are teaming together to try and help prevent more. Realizing that advertising may be playing a role the controversy over cigarette advertising has lead to the censoring of harmful products in other public advertising which still has a lasting effect today.

Through the process of finding a topic to write this assignment, my boyfriend showed me “Thank you for smoking”. Above, is a segment of a speech in the film to the board of directors of the Academy of Tobacco Studies.

Nowadays, every individual in modern society gets confronted with signs of what we should wear, have and be. It is everywhere around us, especially with the advancement of technology. Television, music, movies and advertisement are tools that affect every individual. The interpretation of the signs depend on the person experiences, background, culture, language and country. Even if they are not consciously aware of it. For instance, taking in consideration cigarettes. My opinion about cigarettes is not of sexual attractiveness as it is suggested in this article. On the contrary, my meaning for cigarettes is repulsiveness. Nevertheless, I do agree that at a certain point, cigarettes are a ritual in most adolescent lives.Not of sexual nature but more for the coolness, forbidden effect and belonging status. Cigarettes like any other sign evoke different interpretations by different people. Individual's gesture, movement, words, glances can express more meaning than smoke and how to hold a cigarette.If for instance, one takes a couple on a dance floor.The way they move towards each other, touch each other and glance at each other, in the appropriate environment of a nightclub is more sexual than smoke.

Over the years we have seen a monumental change in the way society views cigarette smoking. At one time cigarette smoking was seen as a normal behavior and few regulations existed. However, as the associated health risks and anti-smoking campaigns have been introduced to the media, stigmatization of smokers has continuously risen over the years. Around the end of World War II, smoking was seen as a fashionable/trendy and effective stress reliever; today it is seen as socially unacceptable and often frowned upon. What most likely led to this radical change in opinion concerning cigarettes? The answer may lie in recent movements of anti-smoking legislation, decline in smoking prevalence, the increase in anti-smoking media such commercials and campaigns, as well as increased public health awareness as to the dangers of first and secondhand smoke (Pacheco, 2011). Groups even exist composed of anti-smoking activists that are dedicated to promoting an unfavorable image of smoking; one extreme example being the 1970’s group SMASH, the Society for Mortification and Smoker Humiliation, who suggested implanting explosives into cigarettes.(“Anti-smoking Hall of Fame,”

Like most people, you already know that smoking is bad for your health. But do you really understand just how dangerous smoking really is? Smoking and use of tobacco products, including cigars and smokeless tobacco, cause or worsen numerous diseases and conditions (American Lung Association, 2016). There are just around 7,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, and 4,000 chemicals in one cigarette. There are many reasons why smoking should be banned in the United States.

The United States Surgeon General’s report stated that cigarette smoking is the major single cause of cancer death in the United States. This statement is so true today. Smoking a cigarette is an acquired behavior and that makes it the most preventable cause of death in our society. Cigarettes contain nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide, as well as formaldehyde, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, arsenic, and DDT. The main ingredient in cigarettes is tobacco. The nicotine in cigarettes is very addictive and when smoke containing nicotine is inhaled into the lungs, the nicotine reaches your brain in less than six seconds. Addiction to nicotine also poses very serious health risks. With all the toxic ingredients contained in cigarettes, cigarette smoking is not only harmful to smokers but to nonsmokers. When you are smoking a cigarette you are not the only one being harmed so cigarette smoking should be banned because it is harmful to those smoking and those who chose not to.

These instances expose children to harmful substances in a comical fashion with zero explanations of the harmful effects associated with the drug use. The Disney movies that portray these instances are older, but still, have the potential of being watched several times by children. For instance, Beauty and the Beast had 116 exposures of alcohol in the film and 101 Dalmatians had 21 instances of tobacco use. It is difficult to say that Disney movies lead to children trying alcohol and tobacco, but this is one example where these Disney films should be talked to with kids and explain the harmful effects of the substances children are being exposed to. I remember 101 Dalmatians having a lot of smoking references and wonder if these exposures have any impacts on the decision people make. These films are still important to discuss with children especially if it is an older Disney movie and a lot of alcohol or tobacco exposures occur in a film, so the child can begin to understand the negative consequences of those actions from a younger

Do I personally believe if teens stopped seeing cigarettes being smoked in movies that they would never pick one up? No, I defiantly do not. Just because a movie isn’t R rated doesn’t mean there isn’t any type

Allie began smoking when she was 13 years old with her best friend Linda. By the age of 18, Suzy had a pack-a-day habit. Suzy continued to smoke, even after she found out she was pregnant and her obstetrician encouraged her to quit. She tried to quit, but was just too addicted. Allie’s baby was born weighing only 4 pounds, 6 ounces. Allie and her baby are just two more victims of this terrible addiction, fueled by a totally legal substance; cigarettes. Cigarettes are dangerous and should be banned in the United States.

Though tobacco advertising has been monitered in the media, it still directly a cause for youth today to begin smoking and using tobacco products. The history of media's glorification of smoking is something of which cannot be erased and it is something impossible to shelter children from. Children's minds are easily manipulated and with smoking still shown in movies, its simple to influence their decisions and give off the wrong impressions on smoking. Stores even place ads for cigarettes at a level where young children cannot see them but that doesn't stop them from vieweing ads on televisions, magazines, or again from movies they are allowed to watch. Tobacco companies pay movie industries and directors to have their products shown in a movie which as a result both companies would recieve a lump amount of money for product endourcing.(Stanton ) It's easy for movie producers to agree to this because they'd end up with a lot of money just to simply have a box of cigaettes with the logo showing on table which seems harmless but it's not.