Beyonce smokes! Thus roared the battle cry when Beyonce Knowles was photographed with a cigar in hand; these photos were taken when she and her boyfriend were vacationing and one particularly ambitious paparazzi with a zoom lens got a hold of her activities. Beyonce is of course best known for her work as a singer, model and also an actress. Her claim to fame came with the group known as Destiny’s child, but since then she has managed to engage in a highly lucrative and successful solo career. The success that Beyonce enjoyed did not only happen in the United States but also spilled over into the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Canada, and several other countries where she was soon seen as a hot commodity.

With all this fame and fortune, Beyonce is no stranger to controversy, and it appears that the animal rights organization PETA has adopted her as a poster child for celebrity confrontation. The use of fur has been decried – which is not surprising in a day and age where faux fur is easily available and of good quality. In addition to the foregoing, the use of juvenile alligators in a photo shoot came under close scrutiny and soon Beyonce saw her name unfavorably linked with PETA in a number of publications. Yet while this controversy was easily weathered, outside of the United States there was another sort of trouble brewing.

Does Beyonce smoke? This question was only tangentially touché don when photos were released in the States showing her sucking away on a cigar. Yet the controversy about Beyonce smoking has a much more contentious background than just a photographer snapping away when Beyonce was spotted smoking. In Australia a photo of Beyonce the smoker was released which featured her with a cigarette holder. This photo was used as a promotional shot and thus was displayed publicly in a number of venues. It is now considered to be in violation of the Tobacco Advertising Prohibition Act, and yet it is not only the picture that is under contention but her posing in such a manner in the first place. Citing her status as a role model for many youngsters and teens, anti-smoking advocates decry her lapse in judgment to be portrayed thusly in an effort to show her sophistication and self-confidence. While this may be the proverbial tempest in the teapot, there is a certain kernel of truth to the argument that cannot be ignored, and hopefully this singer and actress will consider these sentiments for future reference.