'Cigarettes should never be a fashion statement': Charity concerned at coverage of celebrities smoking
Video of Chari XCX and Madonna smoking at Milan fashion week led to some hailing a renaissance for "edgy" cigarettes to the concern of Action on Smoking and Health
An anti-smoking charity is concerned cigarettes have been glamourised by media coverage of celebrities such as Madonna and Charli XCX lighting up.
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Action on Smoking and Health [ASH] has told LBC that smoking reappearing in fashion, entertainment and social media "risks the normalisation" of the deadly habit, even on the back of the Tobacco and Vapes Act.
The government bill will prevent anyone born from January 1, 2009, from buying tobacco or e-cigarettes, for their whole lives, even after they turn 18.
But ASH is concerned that a mini-smoking renaissance might emerge on the back of cigarettes being presented as "edgy" or "glamorous" by celebrities and in their media coverage.
Read also: There is no ‘personal choice’ in smoking addiction
Caroline Cerny, deputy chief executive at ASH, said: "Images of celebrities smoking at high-profile fashion events may be presented as edgy or glamorous, but they are a reminder of why the Tobacco and Vapes Act is so important.
"Smoking reappearing in fashion, entertainment and social media, risks the normalisation of a product that remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the UK."
Recent publicised examples include singers Madonna and Charli XCX sat smoking side-by-side at a YSL fashion show in Milan and Lady Gaga with a cigarette in her Die With a Smile music video last year.
The UK, in 2024, had 5.3 million smokers, which was the lowest proportion since records began in 2011, according to ONS data.
Madonna, Charli xcx and Connor Storrie sitting together at Paris Fashion Week. pic.twitter.com/DFEqWLFBXz
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Ms Cerny said that while celebrities can give an element of glamour to tobacco, they might be themselves addicted and wanting to quit - and shouldn't be held up as an act to follow.
"This shouldn’t be about demonising individual celebrities, many of whom are themselves likely to be addicted to a uniquely deadly product," she added.
"But media organisations and publishers should think carefully about the images they choose to promote and the messages they send, particularly to young audiences.
"The Tobacco and Vapes Act will help protect future generations from tobacco addiction and help ensure smoking is no longer seen as an aspirational behaviour.
"Cigarettes should never be a fashion statement – they are a product that kills up to two-thirds of long-term users."