At the beginning of the 20th century, female smokers were extremely rare. Smoking was synonymous with poor character, low social status, and prostitution. In fact, the stigma of women smoking was so great that that Congress considered banning women from smoking in the District of Columbia in 1921. (National Research Center for Women & Families, 2004) Tobacco companies have targeted women for years by appealing to the issues that women are interested in such as independence, stylishness, weight control, sophistication, and power. …
