For decades cigarette companies in America have claimed

millions of lives, and continue doing so. Smoking cigarettes

causes cancer in the mouth, lung, esophagus, kidney, pancreas,

bladder and heart disease. Even though clearly stated on the

cigarette packs Surgeon Generals Warning: Smoking causes lung

cancer, heart disease, emphysema, and may complicate pregnancy,

yet billions of people still ignore the warning and light up.

Smoking cigarettes creates an image making the individual look

cool, sophisticated and tough. This image is sold in advertising

and hooks millions.

Smoking cigarettes looks cool. For instance,the majority of

the kids who smoke are some way or another pressured by their

friends who smoke. Smoking is just another way of making friends

and hanging-out with the in-group. Many times advertising

focuses on looking cool. Take, for example, the Joe Camel

billboards we were so use to seeing in New York and elsewhere.

What Joe Camel did was totally desensitize the kids by being a

cool cartoon character. And when the kids saw his cool, leather

jacket and sunglasses,the kids copied Joe Camel. The kid s point

of view is, if Joe Camel smokes cigarettes and nothing s wrong

with him, then the kid will start smoking too.

Another misconception is that cigarettes make the smokers

look sophisticated. Teenagers look up to successful adults and

imitate them. For example, the adult is good looking, making

good money, drives a nice car and smokes cigarettes, he or she

looks sophisticated. I believe being sophisticated means having

power, status and wealth. Smoking cigarettes is not

sophistication it s suffocation. Many commercials use to show

affluent, well dressed people at a party talking intelligently

and smoking. I have no idea how cigarettes are supposed to make

an individual look sophisticated. When I see a person smoking, I

don t think much of it because it s an everyday thing.

For years we have been watching tough guys like Clint

Eastwood, Robert Dinero, Marlene Brando and many others light up

cigarettes in their movies. Sure! smoking makes the actors look

tough in their roles, but what about the negative effect of

smoking. Don t the actors realize what smoking is doing to their

health. And teenagers who watch their movies, perceive the actors

being tough and cool. It sure made the Marlboro Man look rugged

in his portray of a tough cowboy; eventually he died of emphysema

a few year s ago!

Now take for example the Clint Eastwood in his western

movies. In his role as a good guy, Eastwood carries a gun in one

hand and a cigarette in his mouth. Teenagers get an image that

smoking makes them look cool and tough. Personally smoking

doesn t make person look cool, sophisticated or tough, it just

make s them look stupid! Don t you agree?