Modern Celebrities Against Smoking

Added: 11/15/2005

All over the world it is recognized that smoking is a bad habit. Millions of dollars are spent annually getting that message out to the public. Some listen, some don't. More often than not, celebrities are recruited to take part in these anti-smoking campaigns. People listen to celebrities, right? Celebrities can make or break tobacco brands. Comments the founder and CEO of a leading New York based tobacco company, "...if you look at somebody who is smoking cigarettes, the endorsements of celebrities have always counted for a lot".

Being famous and taking a stand against smoking can be a good career move. Being aligned with celebrities against smoking can do more for an image than a hit movie. Campaigns like "celebrities against tobaco use and smoking" are widespread, make for great copy and can help a flagging Hollywood career.

From music trends to fashion styles, the younger generation often follows the behavior of the celebrities they observe on the TV screen, and that includes the use of tobacco. Recent studies have concluded that films depicting celebrities in smoking scenes are reinforcing and increasing the opinions that smoking is a normal, widespread, and socially desirable behavior. Unfortunately, these movies do not reflect the lasting consequences of tobacco use.

Although the attitudes and behaviors of family and peers are the most important influences on the decisions of adolescents regarding the use of tobacco, the media, namely movies, television, and the Internet -- can also affect these decisions.

In the United States, young people watch an average of 3 films a week, which have an average of 5 smoking episodes each, resulting in about 15 exposures to smoking a week. In movies adolescents may be more exposed to smoking than in real life, today's movie heroes are 3 to 4 times more likely to smoke than people in real life, if a teen favorite star smokes, it's considerably likely that the youth will turn out to be a smoker or at least try smoking.

About two-thirds of movies seen today show celebrities and smoking, including movies rated PG or PG-13 that are intended for young audiences.

Luckily, the government has launched a number of campaigns featuring celebrities against smoking. Among the most influential celebrities against tobacco uses are: Christy Turlington, Jeremy London, Boyz II Men, Jill Sobule, the Indigo Girls, Shawn Mullins, Richard Marx, Mark Hamill, and others.

Some of the most influential tools and celebrities against smoking are:

1) Entertainment. Entertainment is a mighty instrument in communicating health messages to public. This industry has all necessary levers to create, normalize and reinforce health messages.

2) Smoke screeners. Educational programs that help to educate young people, empowering them to make informed decisions on chewing and smoking tobacco by improving their capability of analyzing messages they receive about smoking in movies and on TV.

3) Esai Morales. American actor and director, being one of the celebrities against smoking he has created a TV spot and a new poster, both in Spanish and English.

4) Christy Turlington. Famous cover model and entrepreneur, she is communicating smoke-free messages to teens at schools and communities. The author of 17 minute film called "Seven Deadly Myths" that inspects some of the widespread myths about smoking and inspires women to stay away from this deadly habit.

5) Jeremy London and his brother Jason volunteered to perform in two 30-second counter-advertisements that are now available from the Smoking and Health Office. Jeremy is the author and director of both spots.

6) Boyz II Men. No way will the energetic BoyzIIMen musicians let tobacco smoke impair their performance. These young Motown celebrities against smoking choose to make a sturdy statement to both young and old about the benefits of living smoke-free.

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