Why Can’t Fashion Quit Smoking?

 

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We know fashion is prone to a problematic fetishisation – size zero, heroin chic – and smoking is no different. From the infamous met gala bathroom pictures to Vogue Super Slims, smoking has always been intrinsically linked with fashion – harping right back to the YSL Le Smoking suit.

Coco Chanel was often seen with a cigarette in hand, Carrie Bradshaw is as known for her cigarette as her Manolos, Mary-Kate Olsen’s wedding famously featured bowls of cigarettes for guests and for AW24 shows, Christian Cowan had models smoking as they walked down the runway.

Cigfluencers – an Instagram account dedicated to showing pictures of celebrities smoking – has over 60k followers. Gaultier’s 2018 haute couture show was entitled ‘Smoking, No Smoking’ and models waltzed down the runway with cigarettes firmly in hand.

We’ve had the iconic picture of the Tabi’s with a cigarette planted in the toe and the ever-enviable model off duty look is often accessorised with a Marlboro Gold. Ironically for something known for making you smell bad, smoking has infiltrated our perfumes – Tobacco Vanilla by Tom Ford, Nightclubbing by Celine, and top fashion houses are selling lighters and ashtrays that are as covetable as their clothes. Smoking is a hot commodity – but why? In 2024 more than ever, we know the dangers of smoking, so why can’t fashion ditch the habit?

 

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Cigarettes in the 1920s were a sign of liberation for women. Long before we knew of their cancer-causing properties and the long term damage they do to us, women used cigarettes as a symbol of emancipation from the constraints of the past.

Smoking had historically been something firmly for men, but from the 1920s onwards, women started to take up the habit as a form of rebellion, a sign that they were equal with men – right down to their habits. Interesting then, that they’re coming back at a time when women’s rights are being taken away from us, when women are being controlled in a way we haven’t in decades.

As women, we’ve worked so hard to get to where we are, that now it can sometimes feel like it’s all being taken away. So, many women are throwing caution to the wind and deciding to fully rebel against the conservative view of their gender– prim, proper and no nasty habits. Holding a cigarette is an easily attainable form of rebellion and in doing so, the ‘ladies’ have gone back to being ‘ladettes’ and just like in the 1920s, they don’t care what the men think about it.

We’re living in a time of climate change, abortion rights being taken away and alleged sexual abusers being President of the USA. Perhaps with the world feeling so grim at the minute, people are focusing on what feels good at that exact minute, and not worrying about the future because who knows what’s coming.

Smoking can also be seen as a link to a nostalgia, back to a bygone era where the world felt lighter, we didn’t live with a sense of impending doom every time we turned on the news and we didn’t fully know or care how bad smoking was – a time when everything was frivolous and carefree.

The wild party-era of the 90s was full of models like Kate Moss smoking. The infamous Primrose Hill Set were splashed all over the tabloids falling out of clubs with cigarettes in hand. This was a time of pre social media where people seemingly behaved more wildly and had more fun. There was less of a panopticon-esque surveillance and just more fun. Perhaps that is what people are desperately trying to cling onto when they light up a cigarette now.

 

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Over the last few years we’ve also seen the rise and fall of the clean girl trend. The wellness focused trend that was rampant on TikTok brought with it the pressure to be perfectly ‘well’. Hot lemon water, pilates, a plethora of supplements and a plant based diet were all buzzwords swarming our social media feeds. We watched videos of girls getting up at 5am to do a their workout and a full skincare routine before work. Bedtime was strictly 10pm so our sleep could be optimised. Hair was slicked back and make up was minimal.

Faced with the overload of perfection, we then saw the rise of Charli xcx’s Brat era. Gone was the hyper feminine era of Barbie and clean girl and in came the wildly hedonistic Brat era where partying, drinking and smoking were all suddenly cool again. Gone are green juices and vitamins, in are vodka and cigarette diets. Hedonism was the new lifestyle du jour and matcha lattes were swapped for cigarettes.

But what the fashion crowd would be wise to remember is smoking is not fun or cool or aesthetic or rebellious or anything else other than dangerous. According to the World Health Organisation, smoking causes more than 8 million deaths per year, including almost 2 million non-smokers who suffer from second hand smoke related deaths. In Ireland alone, over 100 people die per week due to smoking induced illnesses. Smoking causes cancer, lung disease, strokes and heart attacks amongst a long list of other diseases.

Smoking dries out out your skin, stains your fingers, and gives you bad breath. It’s also highly addictive – and the teenager reaching for one to emulate the looks on the catwalk is not thinking about the cost (both monetary and physical) of a possible lifelong addiction. The fashion industry has a duty to its young followers to stop this fetishisation of smoking. Whether intentional or not, every year its influencing young people to smoke. The power of the fashion industry is undeniable, we’ve seen time and time again how it can change societal norms. Imagine what they could do if they stopped glamourising the habit and instead focused their attention towards encouraging people to quit smoking?

Words by Ciara Moran