Using Feminism to Sell Cancer (Ft. Virginia Slim Cigarettes)
- Tarasekhar Padhy
- Dec 12, 2024
- 3 min read
A long time ago, cigarettes were primarily sold to men.
Until 1963, when the Equal Pay Act was passed. The law ensured that women got equal opportunities for employment and were paid identically to their male counterparts.
This meant that women had more financial freedom and purchasing power than ever before.
The right thing to do here is to educate these women about money and encourage them to be more responsible with their purchases, especially when it comes to tobacco products.
Tobacco products, such as cigarettes, cause cancer, especially in women. One of the primary reasons behind this is the presence of estrogen, a hormone that promotes the growth of cancer cells.
Hence, the right thing to do is to educate women or females about the dangers of tobacco and provide them with all the support necessary to help quit it.
That’d be the right thing to do.
However, sometimes what’s right isn’t as important as what’s profitable.
And that’s what Philip Morris, a tobacco tycoon believed in.
Fortunately for him, he had the feminists to help him.
Virginia Slim: For Classy, Elegant, and Sophisticated Women
The United States in the 1960s.
Second-wave feminists are taking to the streets and asking for the right to work and get equal pay for the same work. After some time, the Equal Pay Act of 1963 made this all a reality.
So, women started to earn money for themselves and had more purchasing power.
It would be a shame if someone decided to manipulate these strong women for money, right?
Right?
source[1]
In the aforementioned ad copy alone, I’ve discovered the following comforting lies that brave and intelligent women (that need no men) have been told:
“Biologically Superior”: There is a reason why women and men have different sports leagues, including for non-physical games like chess. Additionally, there is an episode from Bear Grylls’ Man vs. Wild where a bunch of dudes and a bunch of chicks are stranded on different parts of the same island. The females had negative survival skills and immediately called for help after sundown.
“Some experts consider to be the inferior chromosome”: Who are the experts and in what context did they label the Y chromosome as inferior? Both X and Y chromosomes can be considered inferior with respect to others in various conditions. For instance, Y reduces longevity while the additional X in women is considered redundant. This is just clever language, pretty sure strong and brave women that need no men can see through it.
“They are also less inclined than men to”: The laundry list that follows this is highly dependent on sample size, nature of the experiment, and diversity of the participants.
“Designed for mere men”: This is just flattery that preaches to the ego of the ladies. Once you tell someone that they are better than some other group, you can make them do anything, especially if they are emotionally driven as women.
Yes, it’s true. The limbic system, the emotional center in the brain, is larger in women than in men and is more well-connected to other areas of the brain. Moreover, female hormones like oxytocin play another role in intensifying emotional experiences in women, making them more emotional than their male counterparts.
Facts.
Conclusion: It’s More Than Cigarettes
Truth to be told, not many women fell for this. In fact, smoking among women decreased between the '60s and the '70s, thanks to the growing awareness about the impact of smoking on the human body by the Surgeon General. [2]
The women who smoked, certainly didn’t do it because of some blatantly sinister ad copy. No one is that dumb.
But, this philosophy of marketing is greatly successful in the beauty and fashion industry.
Companies have done a great job in convincing women that the secret to happiness lies in impulse buying outfits and accessories and shoving chemicals in your faces to look better for the cameras.
The amount of money these brands make is insane.
That’s why the pink tax exists.
You know what, I will create a different piece about it altogether.
Until next time,
Tara
