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Smoking in movies
. . . targeting young people
Research suggests that young people are greatly influenced by their role models in movies. If their favourite actor smokes in a film, they are likely to take up the habit. The depiction of role models as smokers reinforces the lie that smoking is safe and cool. For very good reasons, cigarette advertising is banned in Australia. However, there is no ban to prevent smoking being shown in movies and the incidence of cigarettes in films is increasing. Devious cigarette companies are spending increasing amounts of money to place their products in films so they can bypass the advertising ban. This is clearly being done to entice young people into this disgusting habit. This practice must be stopped.
Smoking in movies is clearly targeting both children and teenagers. For example, did you know that the makers of “Licence to Kill” were paid $350,000 to have James Bond smoking a particular brand of cigarette in the film? Similarly, in Superman II, Lois Lane continually smoked a cigarette brand that is popular with youth. Popular children’s movies such as “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” and “The Muppet Movie” both show needless smoking scenes.
Each of these moviesshow examples of totally gratuitous smoking. Lois Lane, for instance, is a non-smoker in the comic book. Having her smoking in the movie doesn’t enhance the story in terms of character or plot development. Hence the inevitable question “Why did she need to smoke in the movie?” The answer, of course, is obvious. The cigarette company needs her, as a role model, to do their dirty work of seducing young people to take up the smoking habit.
Furthermore, the practice of cigarette product placement in movies is on the increase. Recent findings show that 85% of modern films had actors smoking, with tobacco use taking place, on average, every three to five minutes. In comparison, movies made in the 70s and 80s, had smoking scenes approximately every fifteen minutes. Clearly, the manipulative tobacco companies are now spending their massive advertising budgets to pay to have role models smoke in movies instead, knowing that this is an effective way to get young people to smoke.
The increased incidence of cigarette placement in films has undoubtedly coincided with the very appropriate ban on cigarette advertising. The depiction of smoking in movies rarely improves the storyline of a movie, however it definitely does influence young people to think that smoking is cool and socially acceptable. If the beautiful and successful actors they so admire can smoke and look so good, then teenagers will follow their example and take up the habit themselves. The insidious tobacco giants have once again been successful in finding a way to hook more young people into ruining their health by becoming smokers. Tobacco placement in movies needs to go the way of cigarette advertising. Out!