Smoking makes you Ugly!

Smoking used to be hip, fashionable and cool. When I was growing up almost everyone smoked. When I was a teenager I even tried it myself even though I never liked it when my father smoked. He was a chain smoker and if he wasn't eating, sleeping or showering he was smoking. Nevertheless, I still gave into peer pressure and tried it one summer afternoon. I didn't like it, and made a comment that maybe if they made chocolate cigarettes I might be tempted but until then it was not for me.

Life went on and studies were made and it became increasingly clear that smoking was officially bad for you. I grew up in California. Now California may have a lot of problems but one thing I'll say for that state is that they are into HEALTH and BEAUTY. As soon as the news hit the fan that smoking was unhealthy cigarettes were dropped. Moreover, the whole state figured if it hindered the beauty factor it wasn't worth it. Forget that smoking kills and that secondhand smoke is as bad as smoking yourself, that you could die a horrible death gasping out your last breath the real reason that smoking declined in California is because smoking made you UGLY!. One of the main reasons I never was tempted to smoke is that smoking made you look older faster. It gave you more wrinkles and it made your teeth yellow and let's face it ...it smells bad. And, growing up in California, that alone is probably what caused everyone to quit smoking, regardless of early death, early ugly was a fate worse than death!

Today, the only people who smoke in California are foreigners and old people. The message is quite clear that it is now uncool to smoke. Unfortunately, the rest of the country does not seem as influenced by beauty and health as California. I've lived in several states since my childhood and smoking still has it's devotees in those states.

Recently, smoking rates among adults have declined to 18% nationally and in California it's only 12%. Prior to 1997 the rate was almost 25% nationally. And while most pundits attribute the cause to higher taxes, smoke-free work places and public areas and less public acceptance. I think the main reason is that Hollywood has cut down on the habit and the rest of the country has followed suit. If there ever were an institution with a vested interest in staying beautiful it's Hollywood! Now I know some of you out there might object, after all whenever I go to the movies I often see stars puffing away. But, have you seen any old movies lately? It was much much worse back in the day. You would think that everyone of those stars would have died from lung cancer.

Maybe, instead of showing commercials of blackened lungs and people on their death beds due to smoking they should show before and after shots of beautiful people ravaged by cigarettes. If there is one thing that California and Hollywood know it's that sex appeal always wins even in the war against tobacco!

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