Yes, you read that right – cigarettes are having a moment again. Just when it seemed we’d burned that bad habit to the ground, Hollywood — ironically part of the nation’s most health obsessed state — is lighting up again.
From trays filled with cigarettes at the Vanity Fair Oscar’s Party to Kylie Jenner smoking on the mag’s latest cover; Sarah Pidgeon’sCarolyn Bessette Kennedytaking effortless drags while skulking aroundJohn F. Kennedy Jr.’s apartment in Ryan Murphy’s FX hit“Love Story”to Jeremy Allen White’s “The Bear” character Carmy’s frequent smoke breaks outside the restaurant, smoking is well and truly back — Surgeon General’s warnings be damned.
“I’ve definitely seen an uptick in singles describing themselves as ‘sometimes’ smokers — not pack-a-day smokers, but occasional, where it’s tied to nightlife, travel, aesthetic and intimacy,”Ashleigh Rodosta, a Gotham-based matchmaker and relationship coach, told The Post. “The post-sex cigarette is also making a comeback.”
Rodosta emphasized that while having a smoke is now back in vogue,howthe habit shows up in everyday life has changed in significant ways.
“What’s ironic is that many of these same people are otherwise intensely wellness-oriented —cold plunges, peptides, clean eating, the whole thing,” she continued. “So cigarettes are showing up less as a real lifestyle and more as an occasional indulgence tied to image, mood and social setting.”
Rebecca Reingold, a 30-year-old comedian based in Manhattan, is one of these city-based singles who fancies herself an “occasional” smoker — specifically after she’s had a few glasses of whiskey on the rocks following one of her shows, as she finds it’s an effective way to schmooze with other comedians and influential folks in the entertainment industry.
“(Smoking) is definitely much more prevalent in the comedy world,” Reingold, who typically prefers Camels and American Spirits — or when she’s feeling “frisky,” Vogue Superslims — told The Post. “I think that’s actually what pushed me to do it more frequently. It’s also a great way to network. Cigarette breaks are a really good way to meet people and have a conversation. It’s like the water cooler of the art world.”
Though Reingold admits to poo-pooing smokers when she was younger — even going so far as to cheekily walk by people engaging in the habit and “cough dramatically to let them know it’s disgusting” — she now feels that it’s a choice everyone must make of their own volition.
“We’re all adults, and we were educated as best we could be about the dangers of smoking,” Reingold said. “So now it’s up to everybody on their own to use that education and make that decision for themselves…Plus, you don’t know when your time is going to come. God forbid you walk outside and get hit by a bus. So if you want to dabble in a drunk cig from time to time, who cares? You’re doing shots!”
For 25-year-old Manhattanite Curt Walker, the subject of smoking was never taboo, having grown up on a tobacco farm in North Carolina. While he believes people absolutely have a choice in whether or not they want to become a smoker — emphasizing that there’s “more than enough science to understand the consequences” — he’s drawn to the element of glamour and sophistication that cigs can add to a night out.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
