Women Smoking Cigarettes

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s smoking in Bhansali’s Guzaarish is picking up heat. But with young women fast taking to smoking in reality, wonder if it’s being accepted as ’sexy’…

Winona Ryder, Mira Sorvino, Julia Roberts and Uma Thurman smoke much more on the big screen than people do in real life, a study had claimed some time back, calling them dangerous role models for young women.

As trailers of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Guzaarish with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan smoking go on air, there’s a global concern if smoking on-screen is sexy.

Not that it’s the first time an actress is shown smoking on screen, for similar furore was witnessed when Kareena Kapoor lit a ciggy in Chameli, Rani Mukerji in Bichoo , Manisha Koirala in Company or when Priyanka Chopra and Kangna Ranaut made smoking look like some style statement in Fashion.

But isn’t ‘women-smoking’ a part of the real world too?

In a country, where cigars, hookahs and cigarettes were once regarded as symbols that spoke of man’s machismo, though the acceptance to the fact may have been slow, the fact is – women have caught up with the trend, and fast.

“So, what’s wrong? I mean if smoking is bad, it’s bad for both – men and women alike. Then why is there always an eyebrow raised and a special mention made when it’s about girls smoking, on screen or off screen?” reasons Jyoti Khurana, a chain-smoker who works with a BPO. So even though Jyoti admits the habit is bad, she shares, “the addiction for anyone starts almost the same way. The fact that girls are as independent and high earning, and facing the same stress as men, the reasons for taking to smoking too, are similar.”

As for women smoking on-screen, “Perhaps those ’so-called’ keepers of traditions, who say smoking on screen influences young women, have turned a blind eye to what the society has become with girls now far from being those simple, domesticated, dependant women.

When there are so many lifestyle changes that we’re ready to accept for the good, these are just some others that come with the change too. And that’s what these actresses are doing on screen – portraying the real woman of today. Then why this fuss?” reasons Anu Dayal, a smoker once, who quit smoking a couple of years back.

Imperial Tobacco has slashed profit expectations for its Spanish business after competition in the country forced it to cut prices for cigarettes. Imperial, whose brands include Lambert & Butler and Gauloises Blondes cigarettes, said operating profits in Spain could fall short of previous expectations by up to £110m.

Spain accounted for more than 8% of Imperial’s revenues in the year to 30 September, with adjusted operating profits coming in at £268m, but the tobacco market has been under pressure there due to tough economic conditions. The company said tough conditions in Spain resulted in a decline in the cigarette market and growth in rolling tobacco.

Imperial implemented price increases at the start of the year, but competition from rival Philip Morris, the maker of Marlboro cigarettes, forced it to cut prices.

“We have acted to protect our market position and the long-term sustainability of our Spanish business and continue to monitor the situation closely,” Imperial said.

SMOKING HOT JESSICA ALBA CAN'T QUIT SMOKING

In 2008, the 29-year-old Alba and hubby Cash Warren, 32, welcomed baby girl Honor Marie, and while she quit smoking during pregnancy, Alba was quick to light up following the birth of their first daughter. She was seen smoking in France and was photographed chain smoking on the set of "Good Luck Chuck" and throughout her November 2010 covershoot with Elle magazine.

ALBA: "EAT, DRINK AND SMOKE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE" IN 2003

A long-time celebrity smoker, Alba told the New York Post in 2003 that her New Year's Resolution was to "eat, drink and smoke as much as possible." Yet Alba's internet search for "fitness" is almost equal to searches for "Jessica Alba smoking" - 1.5 million to about 1.3 million, in comparison. She's a fitness buff applauded for her physique but rarely featured in the same fitness articles is her undying habit of smoking.

KATHERINE HEIGL QUIT SMOKING WITH E-CIGS

Hollywood mom and former celebrity smoker Katherine Heigl battled the same smoky archnemesis as Alba but eventually was able to find a remedy that helped her quit smoking for good. In Heigl's case, she reealed swapping her tobacco cigarettes for electronic ones and said it was the only thing that helped her quit.

Never mind that it was more in jest, but the posters plastered all over town chose to highlight it in earnest.

Actress Deepika Padukone too doesn’t think twice before lighting up a stick in her recent release or giving the choicest abuses in Lafangey Parindey.

Vidya Balan, Priyanka Chopra, Kangna Ranaut too have broken the holier-than-thou heroine image in their recent onscreen outings.

And now promos of No One Killed Jessica show Rani Mukerji puffing away unabashedly and cussing away to glory.

If you thought that actors were only getting bold as far as getting intimate on-screen is concerned, think again. Our Bolly beauties are not only going brazen in the bedroom, but are also giving men some tough competition in the till-now male domain of puff and cuss.

Trade analysts attribute this bid by filmmakers to give their actresses a touch of realism. “Today, several women smoke and are heard abusing. It is now acceptable, but it still draws attention to the lady. It’s the same for the filmmakers. Their actors, though flawed,stand out and seem more real too,” reasons trade analyst Komal Nahta.

Trade analyst Amod Mehra seconds the observation saying, “It reflects a liberal and bindaas attitude, shows that the woman is bold with a care-a-damn attitude to the world. Also, it shows that women are not considering themselves any less than the men.”

Film-maker Madhur Bhandarkar justifies saying, “Women across the board, in the metros at least, smoke and drink. And when we are reproducing reality on-screen, we also will imitate real people.”

Priyanka Chopra agrees. “Women today are not afraid to push boundaries when it comes to their on-screen image. Though I don’t endorse smoking personally, I have no qualms in not being the vice-free Miss Goody Two Shoes on-screen,” she says.

According to Vidya Balan too, women today are asserting their confidence through their independent thoughts and views. “They are unapologetic about their sexuality, about who they are, and that’s what is being shown on-screen too. Why show honey-coated stuff that women don’t relate to anyway?” counters Balan.

Emotions (derives from Latin word “emoveo”, signifying “exciting, amazing”) is a special class of psychological phenomena, exhibited in a form of spontaneous, biased experience of a person connected with life sense of these phenomena.

The given class is presented by some types such as emotions of wanting: anticipation, greed, hope, envy, desire, love; emotions of not wanting: fear, shame, repulsion, contentment; emotions of having: happiness, pride, guilt, jealousy; emotions of not having: anger, sadness, distress and others. Emotions are what we feel inside of our bodies. It is good when positive emotions prevail in your life, but what should you do if it isn’t so? How do people cope with negative emotions which sometimes fill them?

It may seem strange at first sight; still women are more exposed to negative emotion’s expression. Being the representatives of the fair sex, women are more sensitive to everything; they take it too close to hearts than male sex. And the first their tranquilizer in such situations is simple cigarette. That is why it is very difficult for them to quit it even if they hunger after it.

Under the words of a leading doctor of known rehabilitation center, women have more trouble quitting cigarettes, in comparison with men, as smoking helps them to endure strong emotional shocks, problems. Most women prefer smoking tobacco to pills, being convinced that it is capable to plane state of mind and to calm them down.

Since 2006, the University of Hong Kong’s school of public health has offered gender- specific counseling under a “Smoking Cessation Service for Female Smokers.” There was carried a survey in which participated 332 women smokers. The results of this survey have revealed that the percentage of women smokers, within an average age of 35, who quit after going through the program, made up 26.5%. The number is to a little degree higher than of previous studies, in which 21.9 percent of females stated that they had dropped smoking after non-gender-specific counseling.

The professor of the department of nursing studies at the university’s Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, Sophia Chan Siu-chee, emphasized that, regardless the fact that the increase in the success rate is not substantial enough, still the effect rendered by this program is obvious. Although the majority did not quit smoking entirely, 56% of women succeeded to lower tobacco consumption, while 12% returned to their original consumption levels.

“The main reason of inability to give up this habit is smoking craving. When they are not happy, they tend to smoke. When they have discords in family, misunderstanding with beloved persons, job problems, they take cigarette”, added the professor.

The study also showed that the increase in tobacco taxes resulted to a surge in the number of women involved in the program.

The director of the school of public health, Lam Tai-hing, wailed over the fact that warnings on cigarette packs are too mild and should be reformed in order to operate and the financial secretary should think about increasing the tax again this coming budget by another 10 percent at least.

The always creative and sometimes controversial Lady Gaga admitted to smoking pot and drinking whiskey when she needs inspiration during a 60 minutes interview.

“I still smoke a lot of pot when I write music,” she said. “So I’m not gonna, like, sugar coat it for ’60 Minutes’ that I’m some, like, sober human being, ’cause I’m not.”

To her credit Gaga did make it clear that she is not encouraging kids to drugs, but she just wanted to be honest her millions of fans. She believes other celebrities should be equally as honest with their fans.

She told Anderson Cooper, of CNN, “What artist do wrong is they lie, and I don’t lie. I’m not a lier. I built goodwill with my fans. They know who I am, and I’m just like them in so many ways.”I know she’s not encouraging kids to smoke, but I think this is a bit of information she could have kept to herself.