The Deadly Allure of a Smoke MEANWHILE

Jul 01, 05:55 AM

Current Headlines: By Malindi Corbel

Smoking is on the defensive everywhere, even in places like France where any restrictions on smoking only recently seemed laughable. Nobody disputes any more that it's deadly. Yet look around: Kids are lighting up! Why?

I did it for one reason, and one reason only: to be cool. I'm not sure it worked, but I'm relatively certain that it helped. I remember the first pack of smokes I bought . I felt like a criminal. I lit up and nearly stumbled from the headrush. It certainly wasn't the unacquired pleasure of, say, chocolate.

Feeling like a criminal was my goal, of course. As an adolescent, confronted with so many insecurities, crises and general angst, smoking was my banner . It was an act of rebellion against authority - parents above all. It showed that I was not afraid of taking risks, that I had an edge. I was above caring.

Conversely, before the health risks were established, kids probably started smoking because their parents did, so it was the "grown-up" thing to do. I'm sure it was still regarded as cool.

And, of course, smoking is a social crutch. There was a huge difference for me between standing outside school by myself, feeling totally vulnerable, or smoking a cigarette and being very clearly occupied. For guys, smoking is proving they're macho, tough . No matter that they start smoking precisely because they're too weak not to. The need to be cool is nothing to trivialize. You do what you have to do for social survival. The problem, of course, is that you're left with a dangerous addiction.

In his book "The Tipping Point," Malcolm Gladwell argues that cool kids are often smokers, so other teens emulate them. In other words, the kids who really are cool - who are attractive magnetic and popular - tend to smoke. So they become the connection between smoking and cool. That made me wonder, was I a cool person who smoked or a smoker who wanted to be cool? Either way, the problem with the theory is that it doesn't explain why the truly cool start to smoke. I think the ultimate draw is that there really is something sexy about smoking. I mean the simple physical act and motion of it. The inhaling and exhaling. The drifting and curling and color of smoke. Exploiting this is easy. Hollywood has obviously played a big role in creating and sustaining a glamorized image of smoking. From Humphrey Bogart to James Bond to Sharon Stone, the cigarette has long been one of the cinema's favorite props.

Can smoking bans have an impact on teenage smoking rates? I don't think so. They treat the symptom, not the cause. In fact, making a bigger taboo of smoking might only make it more attractive. Bad things will always have allure.

That's the problem. If the campaign against smoking is limited to describing the evils of nicotine and restricting areas where it can be done, it will likely remain cool. The real challenge is to convince kids - and adults - that smoking is bad. Not bad as in good, but bad as in straight up disgusting. This can only be done by reinforcing an association with something very uncool. My daily walk to the Metro, when I pass my corner bar and see who's already into a morning beer and butt, is helping me.

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Malindi Corbel is an assistant on the IHT editorial page.

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