100 Years of Women and Smoking
The use of cigarettes and tobacco has transformed alongside the role of women in American society. Originally a taboo for women, smoking has evolved from a symbol of feminist emancipation to the source of a fateful epidemic. In 2017, it’s common knowledge that smoking is deadly, however, cigarettes claim the lives of more than 200,000 American women every year.1
The timeline below explores two sides of the coin: advertising campaigns designed to encourage smoking among women and, conversely, major federal initiatives intended to discourage it.
The American Tobacco Company launches its first ad campaign aimed at women, with the slogan, “Avoid that future shadow,” implying that cigarettes aid in weight loss.2
1925
Lucky Strike begins featuring female celebrities in its cigarette advertisements, one of whom is Amelia Earhart.3
1929
The American Tobacco Company hires a group of women to smoke cigarettes while marching down Fifth Avenue for New York City’s Easter Parade.4
1935
Marlboro circulates the Mild as May Campaign, featuring lighter cigarettes for women.2
1940
Good Housekeeping publishes advice from etiquette editorialist Emily Post, who says a good hostess allows guests to smoke inside.5
1941
WWII sparks women’s entry into workforce, where smoking on the job gains popularity.6
1946
Physicians Alton Ochsner and Michael DeBakey are the first Americans to link smoking to lung cancer in an article published in the Archives of Surgery.6
1955
The Federal Trade Commission determines cigarette ads claiming health benefits are deceptive.7
1952
Old Gold cigarettes publishes an ad featuring a bride to advertise the claim that smoking accelerates weightloss.8
1957
The U.S. Surgeon General publishes a report advising against smoking. It is the first time that a U.S. Public Health Service takes a position on the issue.9
1965
The Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act requires a warning on cigarette packages that reads: “Caution: Cigarette Smoking May Be Hazardous to Your Health.”6
The United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare begins the first national systematic surveillance of smoking prevalence, and reports that 41.9 percent of women smoke.10
1968
The cigarette brand Virginia Slims enters the market as the first brand targeted specifically at women. Their slogan: “You’ve come a long way, baby.”11
1970
President Nixon bans cigarette advertising on radio and television, and upgrades the warning label on cigarette packages to read, “Warning: The Surgeon General Has Determined that Cigarette Smoking Is Dangerous to Your Health”.6
1971
Eve Cigarettes runs an ad with the slogan, “Eves of the world, you are beautiful,” in one of several campaigns to target minority women with images of rebelliousness and femininity.12
1972
The sixth Surgeon General’s Report on “The Health Consequences of Smoking,” addresses secondhand smoke and the danger of smoking while pregnant.9
1973
Virginia Slims sponsors the Women’s Tennis Association, founded by tennis star Billie Jean King. Controversy ensues over the promotion of cigarettes at an athletic event, but Virginia Slims returns as a sponsor in 1983.13
1980
The first U.S. Surgeon General Report on the “Health Consequences of Smoking for Women” is released.9
1988
The 20th Surgeon General’s Report on “The Health Consequences of Smoking” declares tobacco is highly addictive.9
1987
Lung cancer surpasses breast cancer as the No. 1 killer of women — a distinction that still holds today.6
1992
Congress enacts the Synar Amendment, requiring states to prohibit the sale and distribution of tobacco to minors.14
1998
California Representative Henry Waxman reveals documents proving R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company had deliberately targeted youth, minorities and women.15
2002
The second U.S. Surgeon General’s report on female smokers finds that smoking is almost 40 percent higher among women living below the poverty level than women who are not.16
2007
R.J. Reynolds launches its first cigarette for women, Camel No. 9. According to a study by the Truth Initiative, the cigarettes were aimed at encouraging teen girls to begin smoking.17
2009
The FDA bans most flavored cigarettes and misleading labels such as “light” and “low-tar,” which are geared toward women and youth.14
2011
The National Cancer Institute finds smoking contributes to half of bladder cancers in women.18
2012
The CDC launches a graphic anti-smoking ad campaign, titled “Tips from Former Smokers,” featuring Terrie Hall, who died after her 11th smoking-related cancer diagnosis in 2014.19
2013
A study by the Center for Global Health Research in Toronto finds female smokers in the U.S. are more likely to die from lung cancer than male smokers.20
2017
Lung cancer remains the leading cancer death for white, Black, Asian American and Native American women, and is the second leading cancer death for Hispanic women.21
Despite national efforts to reduce smoking rates, tobacco companies continue to push advertisements and products geared toward women. According to the American Lung Association, 15.3 percent of women still smoke, which contributes to 80 percent of lung cancer deaths in the United States. 1
Sources
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