Smoking in Movies
What do the movies The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Grease, 101 Dalmatians, The Pirates of the Caribbean and James Bond all have in common?
Smoking.
The characters in these films are not easily forgettable ones that have faded away in the memories of movie-goers. Rather, on the contrary, these are characters well known by adults and children alike, and their smoking habit is something that is closely tied to them.
Not only do these famous characters smoke cigarettes, but they also make the habit look “cool” and desirable. Characters such as Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany’s or Jim Stark from Rebel Without a Cause would not seem the same without their classic cigarettes.
Cigarettes in Movies
The cigarette may seem like an innocent prop piece used to add more detail to a character, however tobacco companies realized long ago that movies are a great way of advertising their product. They do not need to pour as much effort into these advertisements because the popularity of the movie and the movie star are much more powerful than normal advertisements would be. Tobacco companies work with the film industry to include product placement and product promotions in movies.
Recent studies have shown cigarette smoking in movies is not just a platform for advertising but has a large effect on young audience members. A 2012 Surgeon General report concluded that exposure to smoking in movies was one of the reasons teenagers and young adults began smoking. Smoking incidents in movies are not limited to movies specifically for adults. From 2002–2015, six out of every ten movies rated PG-13 portrayed smoking or other tobacco use.
The Motion Picture Association of America does have a “smoking label” that can be put on the movies along with a normal rating. However, almost 90% of high grossing movies that do include smoking do not include this label.
How does smoking in movies affect youth?
There is an argument that teenagers are not influenced to begin smoking by movies but by other factors in their life and the environment. Surveys, however, were conducted with teenagers that controlled for many other factors including parents who smoke and the school environment. These surveys showed teenagers who had viewed more movies with smoking in them were more likely to smoke. A longitudinal study from Dartmouth in 2003, found that kids who saw the highest number of movies with smoking in them were 3 times more likely to start smoking than kids who watched the least movies with smoking.
The CDC concludes that giving an R rating to any movie that portrays smoking would reduce the number of teen smokers by 18%.
Young adults who see smoking in movies may start to think smoking is a part of everyday life that comes free of any negative effects. This thought process, however, is influenced by the way tobacco use is portrayed in movies.
How Smoking is Portrayed in Movies
Characters in movies can smoke without consequences. They have an unlimited number of cigarettes to smoke and do not seem to worry about the cost. Most characters have free reign to smoke anywhere and at any time. No smoking character in a movie ever seems to suffer from any health issues related to cigarette smoking, and they certainly do not develop any of the physical side effects from smoking such as stained teeth, yellowed hands and nails, or premature aging. Characters who smoke do not develop cancer or die from their habit.
Granted, movies often do not take place over a long enough period of time for some of these things to happen. Movies taking place in the past would be able to show people smoking almost anywhere because there were not the same kinds of regulations on smoking as today. Plus, some movies do mention the harms of cigarette smoking, but these are usually in passing.
Nevertheless, movies show cigarettes as a method of coping with stress or as a way to portray a certain look or image. In some movies the characters smoke after an intense or stressful situation or are offered a cigarette after such a situation with the implication being that it will help them calm down. In movies like Grease or The Outsiders the characters smoke to make themselves look tough and cool.
Smoking in movies is glamorized. It presents a fun and consequence-free picture of cigarette smoking, and this is not the kind of image of smoking we can afford to show our children. Not only do the characters in movies seem “cooler” because they are smoking cigarettes but they also never suffer any of the difficult and frightening side-effects from them.
Current changes
As of 2015, Disney has banned smoking in Marvel, Lucasfilm, Pixar and Disney movies that are targeted for children. This is an update on a previous 2007 ban.
Disney’s current anti-smoking polices are as follows:
- There will be no more product placement
- No cigarette smoking in any Disney movie
- Movies produced in the US by Disney are strongly discouraged from having smoking
- Smoking in movies that are not rated R is allowed if movie is historical or if smoking is portrayed in a bad light
- There will be a warning on old Disney movies not rated R that still include smoking
- When Disney has less influence over a movie or when one is made outside of the US, it will discourage smoking in the movie where it is appropriate
The Warner Bros. created their initial ban in 2005 and by 2011 they reduced the number of cigarette smoking instances and shots of tobacco brands in movies by 90%. Their current policy list is almost identical to that of Disney.
Conclusion
There are many proponents of giving movies with smoking an R rating. A 2012 Surgeon General’s report stated that giving smoking movies an R rating could greatly lower the number of youth who pick up the habit.
Tobacco use in movies is dangerous although it may not seem to be so on the surface. Aside from the product placement and incredibly effective advertising that movies provide, cigarettes in movies encourage youth to begin smoking. Not only do characters supposedly look “cooler” but they also seem to smoke cigarettes with no fear of causing harm to themselves. This provides teenagers with a good role model for smoking and is the last thing youth need to be exposed to.
Resources
CDC Fact Sheet: Smoking in Movies
The New York Times: Smoking Ban in Movies
CDC: Preventing Chronic Disease
Business Insider: Disney Smoking Ban
Sara Garzia
