Take just about any major motion picture that you could ever hope or desire to watch and aside from a choice very few, they all have something in common. I am not talking about the obvious facts, like that they are movies, they are made on film using cameras and they feature the talents of actors and actresses as well as directors and producers. Nope. I am talking about the fact that these movies generally portray people smoking, and in a rather disturbingly loving way. It certainly is dizzyingly frightful of a notion when you really ponder it at heart.
First of all, I will admit that I am a smoker. I also know that I abhor this addiction and really want to quit smoking to avoid serious health issues later on down the road. But I can’t help but get the urge to smoke more cigarettes whenever I am watching a movie where they huff and puff and really make smoking seem to be this glamorous affair that has no consequences.
Top Three Reasons Smoking is Glamorized in Major Motion Pictures
- Ad sponsorships. Anytime you see a brand name of a cigarette in a movie, guess what? They got paid to brandish that ad. But aren’t tobacco commercials illegal? Guess they are okay in movies. Go FCC!
- Smoking is cool. Or at least it looks damn cool. That’s the main reason they told us NOT to smoke during elementary school. But Sharon Stone looks pretty sexy with a smoke in her mouth.
- Actor portrayals. I will agree with one notion here. That being: That sometimes a plot does call for a person to be a smoker in the movie. But do you really need to encourage a branded ad or other people, like kids, to take up smoking just to get a few extra bucks of funding from a cancer-creating corporation? I think not. Then again, the continence of morals and Hollywood will never culminate; it’s just not how the movie biz works.