Does smoking make you look cool?

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I'm posting a poll - this just popped into my head. I'd like smokers and non-smokers alike to be honest.

My response later.

ETA - The question should be "Does smoking make you look cool and/or sexy?" I think the sex appeal question is an integral part of this.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Since sexy was thrown in, I voted no. I'm neutral on the coolness factor...but for some reason a girl with a cigarette in her mouth is decidedly unattractive to me.

[katiesue]

I used to think so and when I lived in Germany for a year I smoked,. The smoke didnt' seem to bother me as much in clubs if I was smoking too. I quit when I got home. Now I just find it gross and very unsexy. Who wants to kiss an ashtray?

[Snowflake]

I answered only if you're in a movie. I'm a lifelong non-smoker, the only one in my immediate family, and I cannot bear being around smoke. Funny thing is, if I am with friends who do smoke, we're outside, the wind will change constantly and the smoke will follow me, only.

[BarTopDancer]

I used to think it makes you look cool and guys sexy but now, only in old movies and certain actors does it have that effect. I quit almost a year ago and my perceptions changed once I did.

I do think that there isn't enough being done to squelsh the "cool and sexy" image though. A friend of mine, who is in her late 20s has Downs Syndrome. She had a pack of smokes with her and we were trying to find out why she wanted to smoke. She said it made her look cool and fun. She was trying to hide them because she knew that we don't smoke and she also knows that smoking is bad for you (why are you hiding them if it's cool? Becuase they are bad for me). But the cool and sexy factor outweighs the health issues still :(

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Smoking never looked cool to me because my parents smoked constantly. It makes their breath/clothes/house stink, annoys people, and costs a ton of money. When we were at someone else's house they had to go outside in order to smoke. Even in the movies it never looked good to me.

I never understood why this would look cool (or sexy? wtf does inhaling smoke have to do with sex?) to anyone. Why would I be tempted to kiss someone who tastes like that?

I have never felt tempted whatsoever to try it. I've done other stuff as you guys well know, but I've never thought the actual smoking itself looked good, or made anyone appealing. I find it intriguing that smoking gets PR for how it looks while you do it, rather than the buzz it gives you.

I'd like to hear from smokers about why it looks cool. I really want to understand this - it's way over my head.

[Snowflake]

Well, I've never smoked, never been tempted, based on my family experience, and CP I'm with you, it's foul and stinky.

That said, I've always felt, at least with movies, only three or four people really looked great smoking, it must be in b/w and doing so added a mystique, or look, the smoke shimmering in the light and dark of a good cinematographer. Others may add or dispute my choices, but those who looked great smoking, Valentino, Fred Astaire, Bogart and Bette Davis.

[Alex]

I'm a non-smoker and have never been a smoker (the last cigarette I smoked was when I was 7. My mom caught me and made sure I didn't try it again for a very long time).

That said, yes it can make you look cool. But the cigarette itself is not inherently cool or sexy. It is more about how a person interacts with it. I have a friend who, when he is out standing on his back porch, all by himself, having a cigarette somehow looks very cool doing it.

That said, most people do not look cool or sexy smoking.

[Prudence]

I chose only in classic movies. To me, it's cool and sexy in that limited context and part and parcel of the whole aesthetic or whatever.

In reality, not only is it smelly, but it's just messy. If I can't stand that lollipop stick ends get a little damp and unravel-y, how could I possibly smoke? It leaves nasty residue, makes such nasty disgusting garbage that I nearly vomit just thinking about it, and stale smoke is possibly one of the nastiest smells on the planet.

BT used to smoke (I kind of made him quit) so maybe he can say more on the cool factor. I know there's a whole ritual element to it.

[Motorboat Cruiser]

When I was younger, I did think that it made you look cool, probably because all of the people that I thought were cool happened to smoke. All of my musician idols certainly did. Of course, in the late 70's, quite a few more people smoked and it was far more acceptable.

Do I think it looks cool now? Of course not. It is a vile disgusting habit that I have tried to quit many times and will someday succeed at. It's a pain in the ass, it's expensive, and it sucks. It is also by far the most addicting substance I have ever encountered.

[Ghoulish Delight]

I smoke ocassionally (a couple cloves a month on average). But I have no delusions that it makes me look cool. Lord, nothing can do that. I mostly do it 'cause smoking a clove is the next best thing to smoking something else. I also partly do it for the social aspect; you get to spend more time with your smoking friends if you go out and have a smoke with them.

I'm not horribly disgusted with regular cigarette smoke, though I don't particularaly like it. And I've never been tempted to try.

[Alex]

The smell of cigarettes doesn't bother me at all. Stale cigarettes yes, but one actually being smoked, not at all.

The smell of cloves is wonderful and everybody should be required to smoke one a day so that the world will be a more pleasant place.

[Not Afraid]

It depends on who is smoking and what they are wearing. It can be incredibly sexy if done right.

[Nephythys]

Most of my friends smoke- besides having to wash the smoke smell out of my clothes and hair- I am not bothered by it much. Sometimes it irritates my throat, but not often.

My boyfriend smokes- and trust me, kissing him is not a problem. ;) The whole ashtray thing is highly overhyped.

Only reason I would want them to quit is for their health- but so far I have not found a way to force someone to quit before they want to.

[€uroMeinke]

But of course:

http://www.radiofree.com/profiles/courteney_cox/cx012512.jpg

http://images.contactmusic.com/images/artist/johnnydeppap.jpg

Sex and the ciggarette - why is smoking sexy?:

It's phallic
The post coital puff
Self-indulgent, done purely for pleasure - and/or addiction
Opportunity for an opening line - to light one up/borrow one/stand aside away from the crowd.
There are smoking fetish websites (http://www.hqseek.com/smoking.php)(just put sex and smoking into google for more)And yet I don't smoke - I'm much better with a Martini Glass (see why drinking is cool/sexy) - I don't enjoy it and thus never look cool doing it, but some are masters of it and I have no problem with that.

[FEJ]

Yes, it can.
Some people look really cool Some it makes look real uncomfortable.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

I used to smoke cigars, and had to smoke cigarettes in a play in college (and was mildly addicted afterward.) Everybody in theatre school smoked.

There was intermittant continuance, though rare, until I saw a cute boy in a personal ad demand "no smokers."

Haven't smoked a puff since, and that boy is still too cute for me to even consider it.

[cirquelover]

I started smoking in High School and it was looked upon as the cool thing to do. Most of my older brothers friends smoked and I thought they were cool. Whenever we went to a concert they were always smoking on stage, wow I just gave away my age with that one!
I quit thinking it was cool decades ago. Alas I still haven't been able to quit. I've tried many times but I hope to succeed in the next year or so. I have a child now and I don't want him to smoke, nor do I expose him smoke for his own health.

[innerSpaceman]

While some people can look cool while smoking, I never for a moment think they are either cool or sexy people because they smoke. I may admire their talent for making a disgusting thing look aesthetically pleasing, but that's as far as it goes. For every drop of allure added by the aesthetic, there's a bit of allure subtracted by the lack of respect for the choice.

[Stan4dSteph]

All I think of is how they're totally f-ing up their looks by doing it. I envision the wrinkles they will get because their face is starved of oxygen, and that nasty wrinkle-pucker they get around the mouth. That takes the sexy right out of it for me.

[Freaky Tiki]

It depends on who is smoking and what they are wearing. It can be incredibly sexy if done right.

I concur.

[Alex]

All I think of is how they're totally f-ing up their looks by doing it. I envision the wrinkles they will get because their face is starved of oxygen, and that nasty wrinkle-pucker they get around the mouth. That takes the sexy right out of it for me.

And wearing a bikini to the beach increases your chances of getting skin cancer. It can still look pretty hot though.

[Capt Jack]

I smoke.
I started in high-school and quit because I couldn't afford both gas and smokes.
I started again for reasons I couldn't begin to tell because I don't know myself.
No, I don't smoke because it looks sexy or cool. Not on me at least. It surely can when done right by the right person.
I smoke because I'm hooked on 'em.
I also enjoy it.
A really good cigar is a thing of beauty.
Both my parents died from smoking related causes.
I stop all the time.
I have yet to quit.

Don't smoke.

[Not Afraid]

You know, I smoke on occasion. Not a lot, but it's the only vice I have left and, after a stressful day, I can't drink or do drugs and a cigarette sure is nice at those times.

Cigarette breath is no worse to me than alcohol breath. Peanut butter breath is worse than both.

[wendybeth]

After smoking for a very long time, I quit- but I still like the smell and look of a cig. I do very rarely take a Clinton-type* hit of small cigarellos, but I know better than to start up even part-time. (I'm a full-time kind of gal). I voted for the film option, but I know I started smoking because of the cool factor- no other reason at all.



*Not inhaling, and get your minds out of the gutter.

[CoasterMatt]

I don't smoke, but I do like to burn things...

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/coastermatt/images/old-smoker.jpg
Yeah, really sexy :rolleyes:

[wendybeth]

I don't smoke, but I do like to burn things...

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/coastermatt/images/old-smoker.jpg
Yeah, really sexy :rolleyes:
I'm sure not having a cig in her mouth would really enhance her appearance there, Matt.;)

Or is that a he?

[lizziebith]

I haven't voted on the poll for the reason illustrated by the above pic. If you are NOT sexy...smoking won't help, even in an old movie. If you ARE sexy, even picking your nose would probably look cool. I call shenanigans on the poll. :cool:

[Prudence]

It's funny how different people react so differently to different smells. I have no problem with peanut butter breath or even alcohol breath. But smoke breath I can not stand. I can't kiss someone with smoke breath. And just ask BT - I can smell it a mile away. (He quit once, then restarted by smoking with coworkers while on breaks at work, and somehow thought that I wouldn't notice. The second "quitting" appears to have stuck. I'm so proud of him!)

[wendybeth]

It's all relative, really. What turns a person on? A sense of danger? Well, Billy Jo in my avatar is lighting a smoke whilst corseted in dynamite. For some strange reason, I really like that. Wouldn't like to see such a person on the bus, but I like the pic.

[Gemini Cricket]

My character in the last play I was in had a pipe in his mouth for almost the whole show. It had the taste of tobacco on the mouthpiece part. After awhile, I kind of got used to the taste. Now, if I think about it, I kind of crave a good 'ol pipe smoke. But I don't actually smoke.
After I saw 'Thank You for Smoking' I wanted a cigarette.
I get why people are addicted.

And I think people look totally cool smoking. Except the ones that look like they're are dying as they are doing it. Coughing, wheezing, choking...

The part that keeps me from doing it besides the asthma, lung cancer, emphazema (sp?), mouth tumors and all that is that it does take a toll on your face and teeth. I work with a lady that smokes and it's starting to show in her face now. Not good...

[Ghoulish Delight]

If you ARE sexy, even picking your nose would probably look cool.Not from my perspective. I can't explain it, but I have yet to see a woman that I think looks sexy with a cigarette in her mouth. It's not a smell thing, a health thing, a cigarette-breath thing. It's purely asthetic and for some reason that's beyond my comprehension, it looks completely unattractive to me.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Not from my perspective. I can't explain it, but I have yet to see a woman that I think looks sexy with a cigarette in her mouth. It's not a smell thing, a health thing, a cigarette-breath thing. It's purely asthetic and for some reason that's beyond my comprehension, it looks completely unattractive to me.And yet he's offered me one. ;) I have even less reason to smoke now, yay! :)

As GD said before he smokes an occasional clove. I don't mind the smell if I'm standing next to him, but I no longer let him kiss me immediately afterwards. It fades to an acceptable level soon afterward.

And wearing a bikini to the beach increases your chances of getting skin cancer. It can still look pretty hot though.It's funny, I never thought of it that way. I actually agree with Steph for the most part - that seeing someone smoke reminds me of the unhealthy nature of it. But when you put it that way I realize that's a programmed response. Why don't I feel that way when I see someone eat something unhealthy, or drink, or do other recreational drugs for that matter? Totally programmed. Again, it may be because of my parents.

I also dislike the idea of being an addict to anything, as I've said a million times about coffee - but now I drink coffee or tea almost every day.

The pictures that Euro posted are sexy to me but not because of the cigarrette. If you crop out the cig in either shot the sex appeal goes WAY up for me.

[DisneyFan25863]

Surprisingly, most of the people I know find smoking pointless and stupid.


Getting high is much more popular and cool.

[scaeagles]

I do not enjoy being around it at all, but haven't ever stopped to consider whether it is cool or not.

What I find much more uncool are anti smoking nazis that try to control the bevavior of others. Whats that town in CA that recently passed a ban on all outdoor smoking?

I also find government imposed restrictions on smoking in private property offensive.

A bit of a derail, but I found this piece to be interesting regarding the process involved in the anti smoking movement and what may be coming next:

The anti smoking template (http://www.townhall.com/opinion/columns/walterwilliams/2006/06/14/200953.html)

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Surprisingly, most of the people I know find smoking pointless and stupid.


Getting high is much more popular and cool.My 19 year old brother (and possibly my 18 year old brother as well) just started smoking cigarrettes. His gateway drug was pot, believe it or not. He enjoyed the feeling of having an offered cig when he was high, and that led to purchasing a pack for everyday use.

[SacTown Chronic]

Pot is the gateway to everything. It should be illegal.


The smell of cloves is wonderful and everybody should be required to smoke one a day so that the world will be a more pleasant place.
You would love the smell of a Depeche Mode concert.

[Not Afraid]

I guess I don't get - or care about - the smoking looks sexy angle. As Lizzibeth said, you are either sexy or not and smoking is not going to change that. Besides, I guess I don't make my life decidions based on looking sexy or not. Looking sexy is a nice additional benefit, but it is not a motivator for behaviour - unless I'm one on one with my man.

[Gemini Cricket]

One of my favorite shots in a film where someone is smoking is in 'Schindler's List'. At the beginning when Liam Neeson's at the party and it's just him sitting there with his cigarette... It's a beautifully shot moment.

I hate it when non-smoker actors try to portray a character that is supposed to be an avid smoker. It often look fake fake fake. I can't think of one off the top of my head, but when I see it I cringe.

[Capt Jack]

Constantine.
dunno if Keanu smokes but to me it just looked..........off. maybe he was just trying too hard.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Looking sexy is a nice additional benefit, but it is not a motivator for behaviour - unless I'm one on one with my man.Don't tell me you don't dress sexy on purpose - I'd never believe you look that good by mistake ;)

[Not Afraid]

WOW! I neve knew you thought I was such a sex kitten!

Meow! Purrrr Purrrr Purrrr

[BarTopDancer]

See in this I think that Kiefer looks damn hot. It may or may not be the cig but I don't think the photo would be the same without it.

http://mixbrasil.uol.com.br/10mais/termometro/kiefer_sutherland_09.jpg

And heres a hot pic of him just for kicks.

http://handson.provocateuse.com/images/photos/kiefer_sutherland_02.jpg