Women

RJ Reynolds (RJR) is at it again. This time, the cigarette giant has created a flashy, trendy Camel No. 9 cigarette, hoping to attract young female smokers, by playing off designer Channel 9 and the slogan, "Dressing to the 9s." According to Indianapolis Star columnist Marie Cocco, RJR's latest marketing campaign is designed to "hook young women on cigarettes by dressing up death in fuchsia and teal."

Female members of Smokefree St. Louis (pictured here) protest outside of an RJR sponsored "spa night," sending the message loud and clear that there is nothing "light" or "luscious" about tobacco addiction. Smoking kills over 178,000 women every year. Lung cancer death rates among women increased by more than 400% between 1960 and 1990. In 1987, lung cancer surpassed breast cancer as the leading cause of cancer death among women. The Camel No. 9 campaign is just the latest example of aggressive cigarette marketing that attracts and influences youth, in this case young girls. News reports have estimated that RJR is spending between $25 and $50 million to launch Camel No. 9.

ANR has joined more than 45 other health and women's organizations in protesting the marketing of R.J. Reynolds Company's Camel No. 9, a brand crudely designed to addict girls and young women to smoking. For more information, read the letter to RJR, as well as a reponse from RJR.

You don't have to smoke to be at risk of developing tobacco-related diseases or to be a victim of secondhand smoke. With the recent passing of nonsmoker Dana Reeve (at 44) due to lung cancer, we are reminded that secondhand smoke kills and that women are uniquely endangered. Reeve was a renowned vocalist and the beloved wife of actor Christopher Reeve (Superman), whose cancer is speculated to have been caused by exposure to secondhand smoke in the clubs in which she performed.

According to the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, 178,000 American women die each year from tobacco-related illnesses, including heart disease and lung and breast cancers. All are also linked to secondhand smoke exposure. Women across the country are saying enough is enough, and reclaiming their right to life by educating their communities about the health dangers of secondhand smoke, getting involved in smokefree workplace campaigns, and challenging the tobacco companies' dirty targeted marketing tactics head on.

If your life has been impacted by secondhand smoke, please share your story.

Holding the tobacco companies accountable

The tobacco companies have been targeting women since Lucky Strike launched its "Reach for a Lucky instead of a sweet" campaign in the 1920s. Over the years, Big Tobacco has become more insidious in its approach, and started monitoring women's attitudes, goals, fears and insecurities. The tobacco companies use this information to market their cigarettes to women, by creating distinct female brands with inspirational images and subtle messages that stimulate and nurture specific emotions in women - such as independence, success, desire, acceptance, and femininity.

Click on the image below to see a breakdown of how the tobacco companies break women down. Click here to read the full story.

You have the power to make positive change!

Women are the gatekeepers and guardians of their communities. They comprise more than 51 percent of the United States population (with 34 percent of those in the workforce holding executive, professional specialty, or managerial positions, compared to 30 percent of men). As a majority, women have the power to create positive change to make their communities healthy and smokefree.

Things you can do:

1. Get involved! Participate in a smokefree campaign. Smokefree environments not only protect all workers from secondhand smoke on the job, but also make it easier for smokers to quit. Contact ANR to locate a smokefree coalition near you.
   
   
2. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper or favorite women's entertainment and/or health magazine, expressing your support for smokefree environments. If cigarette advertisements appear in the periodical, encourage it to cease running them.
   
   
3. Vote! Elect candidates to public office who are supportive of smokefree air and have a history of supporting women's health issues. Also, if a smokefree initiative is on the ballot, assist in signature gathering and help get out the vote.
   
   
4. Kick the habit. Nearly 1 in 5 women smoke and more than three quarters of them report wanting to quit. Kicking the habit is difficult, but there are people there to help you achieve your goal of being 100% smokefree. Contact ANR to locate support groups and cessation quit lines in your area. In addition, there are a number of national, female-oriented cessation services:
   
   Circle of Friends
   800-243-7000
   
   Great Start (Pregnant Smokers)
   866-66-START (English & Spanish)
   
   National Cancer Institute
   800-4-CANCER (422-6237) (English & Spanish)
   
   National Women's Health Information Center
   800-994-9662 (English & Spanish)
   
   
5. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Plan ahead. Contact the Komen Foundation chapter in your area and encourage them to focus on the link between secondhand smoke exposure and breast cancer when planning activities and media events.

"The Soprano's" actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler is a celebrity spokesperson to the American Legacy Foundation's Circle of Friends project, a network of women supporting one another in their efforts to be 100% smokefree.