https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFJmz7JlqkY

Artist Statement 

Sam Pilgrim and Mariah Thron 

We chose this topic to explore why young people are still drawn to smoking even with the common knowledge that it is not healthy. With our interviewees help we were able to find some commonalities on why they started and continue smoking. We both have had friends that have or have personally struggled with nicotine addiction and the baggage associated with it and wanted to bring to light certain struggles that accompany smoking addictions.

Marketing and media still work to make smoking attractive especially to vulnerable people or easily influenced people. There is a common connection between young smokers and social influences. Often those who smoke feel like outcasts among those who do not.

And since a majority of smokers are discriminated against due to other aspects such as their skin color, their sexual orientation, their income or their age the stigma around smokers only adds to that divide.We are attempting to bring to light the facts that a) smoking is not rebellious or cool and that tobacco companies profit off of how popular culture paints smoking, and their own advertising, though it is subtle, is very impactful; b) although it is a choice to start smoking, a person is not (usually) able to stop immediately, and inability to shake this habit, together with the stigma or perceived stigma and many smokers’ view that they’re need to smoke is being progressively impeded more and more can often make them feel devalued and discriminated against; this is, in our view, not a narrative that is commonly seen today.