Movie Stars Smoking

Cigarette companies have used many forms of promotion since the inception of the cigarette. In the early days of the twentieth century we were told that smoking was good for us and doctors were even used to back this claim up (incredible!). This belief was held until the first general surgeons came out in 1964 stating that smoking is not good for you and is in fact potentially lethal.

Since this time we have seen a drastic drop in the promotion of smoking, no longer do we see television advertising, sporting sponsorships or billboards advertising tobacco. However there is one form of advertising that has remained consistent over this time, getting movie stars smoking on the big screen.

But why use the movies and movie stars to promote smoking?

Research has shown that the vast majority of smokers start before they turn twenty, the cigarette companies know this fact all to well. Another fact they know is that children who see there favourite celebrities smoking on the big screen are 16 times more likely to view smoking favorably.

For the youth their popular culture is largely dictated by the movies and the celebrities that star in them. If you want to be with the in crowd, than you have to be up to date with all the news and latest fashions of the celebrities. This is exactly why cigarette companies executives are trying to get the stars to light up as much as possible during their movies. If the youth see them smoking than there is a good chance that they will start up too.

If you think that even cigarette companies wouldn't stoop so low as to blatantly advertise to our children than please reconsider that thought.

A 1999 study from the U.S Department of Health and Human Services found tobacco use in 79% of movies rated G and PG and 82% of those rated PG-13.

Is there one reasonable excuse as to why any movie rated PG-13 or below should have tobacco use in them, I will give you an excuse but its not reasonable. It's because someone was paid mega bucks to make it happen.

It was actually made illegal in 1998 to have paid product placement of tobacco in the movies. You would think that this would stop or at least slow down the promotion of smoking. Well it hasn't.

A classic example of this is in the 2002 movie 'Men in Black II'. There are some scenes of these cute little aliens (which appeal to children and were later made into toys to give away in kids Burger king meals) smoking away on Marlboro cigarettes. How do we know the brand, well the little aliens are surrounded by Marlboro cartons. It doesn't take a genius to figure out some money exchanged hands somewhere there.

Marlboro have come out and said “If producers or directors use or depict our brands, they do so without seeking or obtaining our permission.”

If the above statement is true then I just don't understand why the people who produced 'Men In Black II' would clearly show the Marlboro brand name when there is no incentive in it for them.

This is because the above statement is a big fat lie, of course they paid for the tobacco product placement. After all these cigarette companies have got pretty good at lying to us, they have been practicing since the beginning of last century.