Historically considered a

masculine Masculinity (also called manhood or manliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles associated with men and boys. Masculinity can be theoretically understood as socially constructed, and there is also evidence that some behaviors con ...

habit, the feminization of

smoking Smoking is a practice in which a substance is burned and the resulting smoke is typically breathed in to be tasted and absorbed into the bloodstream. Most commonly, the substance used is the dried leaves of the tobacco plant, which have bee ...

occurred in tandem with the advent of fashion brands or premium brands of

cigarettes A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhaled via the oppo ...

specifically marketed toward women. Most often this is focused on young fashion-conscious professional ladies who are the

target demographic A target audience is the intended audience or readership of a publication, advertisement, or other message catered specifically to said intended audience. In marketing and advertising, it is a particular group of consumer within the predetermined ...

for these brands, which are differentiated by slimness and added length over traditional brands of cigarettes. This development of the female market occurred in tandem with an expansion of the "luxury cigarette" concept aimed at men and women, through the appearance of "luxury, opulence and sophistication" of packaging.

Description

These brands include decorative ones like

Eve Eve (; ; ar, حَوَّاء, Ḥawwāʾ; el, Εὕα, Heúa; la, Eva, Heva; Syriac: romanized: ) is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the ...

, marketed strictly toward women like

Virginia Slims Virginia Slims is an American brand of cigarettes owned by Altria. It is manufactured by Philip Morris USA (in the United States) and Philip Morris International (outside the United States). Virginia Slims are narrower ( circumference) than sta ...

, or as evening-out styles like

Sobranie Sobranie (russian: Собрание, "Gathering", "Collection", "Assembly") is a brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Gallaher Group, a subsidiary of Japan Tobacco. History The Balkan Sobranie tobacco business was establ ...

Cocktail, designed to appeal to women, and their counterpart Sobranie Black Russian, the darker colours of which targeted a male market. Many fashion houses have lent their name (through a licensing agreement) to cigarettes; Yves Saint Laurent is arguably the most successful of these (even though he admitted in a 1968 interview he smokes, but not his namesake brand, as he does "not like the flavour"), though many other brands have been marketed, from time to time, in select international markets:

Givenchy Givenchy (, ) is a French luxury fashion and perfume house. It hosts the brand of haute couture and ready-to-wear clothing, accessories, perfumes and cosmetics of Parfums Givenchy. The house of Givenchy was founded in 1952 by designer Hubert de ...

Versace Gianni Versace S.r.l. (), usually referred to as Versace ( ), is an Italian luxury fashion company founded by Gianni Versace in 1978 known for flashy prints and bright colors. The company produces Italian-made ready-to-wear and accessories, as w ...

Pierre Cardin Pierre Cardin (, , ), born Pietro Costante Cardino (2 July 1922 – 29 December 2020), was an Italian-born naturalised-French fashion designer. He is known for what were his avant-garde style and Space Age designs. He preferred geometric shap ...

Christian Lacroix Christian Marie Marc Lacroix (; born 16 May 1951) is a French fashion designer. The name may also refer to the company he founded. Lacroix's designs combine luxury and insouciance. He prefers artisanal trades, fringe, bead, and embroidery. He's ...

and

Cartier Cartier may refer to: People * Cartier (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) * Cartier Martin (born 1984), American basketball player Places * Cartier Island, an island north-west of Australia that is part of Australia' ...

(a jewelry house). In the 1980s and early 1990s, manufacturers created longer, 164 millimeter versions of several ladies' cigarettes. However, finding only a small

niche market A niche market is the subset of the market on which a specific product is focused. The market niche defines the product features aimed at satisfying specific market needs, as well as the price range, production quality and the demographics that it ...

, the machines that produced them have since been dismantled. With the anti-smoking movement in the United States, cigarette manufacturers have turned to Asia, where there is a distinct market for female oriented brands, and to the ''

nouveau riche ''Nouveau riche'' (; ) is a term used, usually in a derogatory way, to describe those whose wealth has been acquired within their own generation, rather than by familial inheritance. The equivalent English term is the "new rich" or "new money" ( ...

'' in Russia.

References

Cigarette types Fashion Tobacciana {{Fashion-stub

Description

See also

References