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Cigarettes

The most popular way of smoking tobacco is through a cigarette. The reasons for this are a combination of availability, cultural acceptance, and ease of use. Smoking has been associated with various characteristics over time as well. Pipes were previously the most popular way of smoking. Smoking a pipe is considered to be solemn and reflective and often associated with old age and antiquity, while smoking a cigar is often associated with masculinity and power and personified by the stereotypical capitalist.

Cigarettes are more associated with modernity and the fast pace of industrialization. They are also associated with promiscuity in men and especially women. In19th century Europe, prostitutes and clients would approach each other under the guise of sharing a cigarette. It was around this time that these little cigars became the preferable smoking device, and began working their way into paintings, books, music and eventually films. The twenty years following World War Two were the height of cigarette smoking, before anti-smoking campaigns began educating the public on the adverse effects, and demonizing smokers. It was during this time that smoking was considered “cool”, when a cigarette tucked in between the lips epitomized the young rebel.

Cigarettes are now known to cause a large number of adverse health effects, such as cancer of the lungs, mouth and throat, to heart disease to birth defects. Pregnant women are advised not to smoke because of the risk or low birth weight as well as physical deformities and mental effects. Lung cancer is one of the leading killers of smokers, and smoking can also lead to other related complications. It is estimated that smoking takes an average of 11 minutes per smoke off of the smoker’s life, and it can also effect people in the surrounding area, which is why cigarettes are banned in many public places.

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