August 1, 2007

Cigarettes Marketed to Women

i'm down with lung cancer, yo

In spite of the fact that cigarette smoke carries with it some particularly devastating health concerns for women, cigarette companies have targeted women with marketing campaigns. The manner in which cigarette companies target women and girls is by using advertisements that portray attractive, slim women to indicate that smoking projects a glamorous and independent streak and makes one socially desirable.

There is the implication that cigarette smoking suppresses appetite—and after starting, most women would rather maintain their pet addiction than gain a few pounds during nicotine withdrawal. The reason that most women “quitters” relapse is because of stress, weight control and negative emotions that crop up in their life. Cigarette companies have done the research and are banking on the fact that they will keep their female consumers by projecting smoking as an image builder.

Cigarette companies may show you photos of beautiful women, but the truth of the matter is this:

It is estimated that cigarette smoke kills 178,408 women annually in the United States.

90% of all lung cancer deaths can be attributed to smoking—in 1987, lung cancer deaths among women outnumbered breast cancer fatalities.
Women age 35 or older who currently smoke are 12 times more likely to face an early death due to lung cancer than their non-smoking peers. In this year (2007), an estimated 70,880 women will perish from lung or bronchus cancers.
It has been proven that smoking is directly responsible for 80% of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) cases. For the past three years, the number of women who died from COPD has outnumbered the number of men who died from the same disease.
If you smoke during pregnancy your baby can suffer a multitude of health problems. Smoking prevents 25% of the normal amount of oxygen from reaching your baby.
If you are a woman, 35 or older, who currently smokes, you are 10.5 times more likely to die from emphysema or chronic bronchitis than your non-smoking peers.

The good news:

A recent study found that middle aged women and men with mild or moderate COPD had dramatically improved breathing after they quit smoking.
Women who quit smoking had twice the improvement in lung function after one year than men who had quit.
In 2003, 49.9% of female smokers tried to quit smoking for at least one day.

Isn’t it time that you became the independent, healthier, more beautiful woman who’ve always wanted to be? Set a “quit date” and take your first step towards a better lifestyle!

i have not yet begun to fight