To Smoke or Not To Smoke - Cigarettes

When I was asked to write a blog about a body practice from everyday life, the first thing that came to my mind was smoking cigarettes. Does it make us look classy? Is it bad for us? Does it help relieve stress? Do we look sexy doing it? Do we need to quit? Should we do it to fit in? What's with the smoking baby? What's the appeal? The body practice of smoking cigarettes has been around for ages. We've all heard of it, seen it, and maybe even tried it. What does it say about us?

Smoking, as defined by the dictionary, is "engaging in the smoking of tobacco" and a cigarette, as defined by the dictionary, is "a small roll of finely cut tobacco for smoking, enclosed in a wrapper of thin paper". There are many reasons why one might smoke and this reason can only be provided by the person smoking. There is no way to be able to determine the self-image that this person intended on portraying to others around them, and the case may even be that they were not worried about this in the first place. The person may smoke regularly, once in a while, or maybe just to try it out. The person may smoke to fit in with a crowd, to relieve stress, or even to look tougher. There are no right or wrong answers as to why people smoke. People just do it.

When it comes to my cultural studies class, smoking cigarettes would probably be considered a big statement of culture. This simple action can say a lot about a person. Think of the instant judgement we put on people smoking cigarettes outside of buildings, at bus stops, and in their houses. The image of one can be completely altered just by holding a cigarette or blowing smoke out of their mouth. This action could fit in nicely with one of Susan Bordo's main theses from her writing "Unbearable Weight" about women participating in unhealthy activities, like bulimia and anorexia, to fit in with the rest of the world. Just like the fact that not everyone who is anorexic has done it to look good for society, not everyone who smokes cigarettes does it to appear as something they aren't for the rest of the world. Also, along with what goes on in class, the people who smoke to conform with others around them could be seen as the agency and the people who smoke on a regular basis for their own pleasure could be seen as the choice. Cigarette smokers can portray "textuality" through their body language, the direction their eyes are focused, and their facial expressions while they smoke.