Burning Passions

2024

In the late 1920s, as women basked in the exhilaration of their newly appointed rights given to them by the 19th Amendment, cigarette companies began to orient the marketing of cigarettes toward women. For a woman to smoke a cigarette, viewed as unladylike in years prior, became a symbol of freedom, a show of individuality and power that cigarette companies sought to exploit in their marketing campaigns. In particular, Marlboro cigarettes came out with cigarettes that had a variety of filters under the slogans “Mild as May,” “ivory tips for the lips,” and “red beauty tips to match the lips and fingertips” to reel in a female audience. These ads showed that a woman who smoked cigarettes was elegant, fashionable, and the lady to be. But then, the cigarette companies moved on, deciding to market their cancer sticks to men in the 50s. It left the women who smoked with nothing but an addiction to tobacco and the ridicule of being “unladylike” once again.

My project seeks to reinvent the image of the cigarette while holding the same power and symbolism it held for women back in the 20s. The likeness of the cigarette is maintained, but its composition has changed. Each “cigarette” is made from a different material representing the interests that have sparked my creativity and ignited my passions; crocheting, makeup, writing, and photography are all passions of mine that are represented in the form of a crocheted cigarette, lipstick, a pencil, and a collage of photos. These black and white self-portraits take the likeness of the Marlboro woman portrayed in the ads from long ago. The collage utilizes the negative space by creating representations of smoke through its respective material, providing texture and authenticity to the idea of a cigarette while adding onto the idea of passion so palpable it breaks the 2D realm and seeps into the real world.

This piece was displayed in the For Women, By Women gallery in 2024.