Smoking used to be cool

Smokers used to have it easier. Before we knew how bad smoking is for you, everyone smoked. Smokers could light up just about anywhere, in restaurants, office buildings, movie theaters, even in schools. In the late ‘90s it was very trendy for women to smoke cigars, and cigar bars for cigar smokers selling fine cigars and cocktails began to spring up across the country. Teen smoking was frowned on, but it wasn’t heavily discouraged. There were many famous smokers. Celebrities and news anchors would appear on TV in cigarette ads. Even doctors would sometimes endorse a particular brand of cigarettes. Female celebrities who were smokers made smoking for women glamorous. Many famous fashion models smoked cigarettes and other drugs to maintain their figures and encouraged other women to do the same. Women saw smoking as a path to liberation, a way to change the view of the traditional home maker. It was also a social habit. In the ‘60s and ‘70s cocktail parties where everyone smoked were the main forms of socialization.

It’s a different world now

Now that medical science has discovered how deadly smoking can be, smokers are being ostracized by society and by lawmakers. Smoking bans in many states are requiring smokers to stand at least 15 feet from the entrance to a building if they want to smoke. Some smoking laws don’t allow smoking in public at all, even outdoors. Smokers are seen as dirty and unhealthy people with no impulse control. In wealthy circles it’s still considered socially acceptable to smoke a fine cigar, but smoking cigarettes is seen as low class. Non smoking laws now require all restaurants to be non smoking. Celebrities, especially female celebrities like Beyonce, can never smoke. If a photo were published of them smoking it would seriously damage their careers. Even teenage smokers, once seen as rebellious youth, are now looked down on. Weed smokers also get made fun of in many places. There are many products on the market to clean smoker’s mouths so that no one will ever know they smoke. Smoking is regarded as a dirty secret, and most people say they are trying to quit even if they are not because it is unthinkable to say you enjoy smoking. Pregnant women who smoke are vilified for the harm they are causing their babies. In many chat rooms for pregnant women other chatters will implore these women not to smoke for the health of their babies.