Linn Gabathuler
English Version
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Editorial
Dear readers
Now that we've sobered up, we can look back on the internet phenomena of summer 2024. Brat Summer and the long-awaited downfall of the clean girl ushered in a new era of aesthetics: chaos.
After years of minimalism and self-optimization, today's IT girls want character and excitement again. Celebrities like Charli XCX are leading the way: parties, alcohol, smudged makeup, wild hair, sunglasses during the day, and an unapologetic attitude. It seems as if we are watching an entire generation of mainly young women break out of their previous, orderly structures on social media. Charli XCX's album “Brat” quickly became an adjective in its own right. Going from club to club is brat. Not listening to other people's opinions is brat; it stands for self-confidence and control over your own life. No wonder so many young women in particular are so attracted to this new lifestyle. Until now, women in the mainstream and especially in public spaces were only allowed to break out to a limited extent. Taylor Swift's “Reputation Era” was still well within the bounds of what was acceptable, while Miley Cyrus completely broke the mold with “Wrecking Ball.” With Brat, chaotic rebellion became socially acceptable. Now it was okay not to be perfect, to admit your mistakes, and to live for the moment.
This “I don't give a fuck” attitude enabled the most important and supposedly most demonized brat accessory to re-enter the mainstream: the cigarette. In this &Zine, I will explore the “cigarette renaissance” and explain why we are smoking again right now and what it means for the future of our generation.
Cheers.
Hinsight
Messy & worried
There has been a lot going on in pop culture in recent months. More and more public figures are being photographed casually with a cigarette in the corner of their mouth, and smoking is also appearing more frequently in media such as film and music. The cigarette has become a symbol of rebellion, especially in the US; Chapell Roan wears wigs with cigarette butts, Rosalia gives away bouquets decorated with cigarettes, and actors such as Jacob Elordi and Jeremy Allen White play chain-smoking characters. Just seven years ago, celebrities like Kylie Jenner had to publicly apologize when they were caught smoking by the paparazzi. Today, this accessory and luxury item appears unproblematically and aesthetically in fashion spreads and Hollywood films.
This phenomenon is surprising because smoking in the US has become increasingly stigmatized and illegal. Over the past decade, tobacco use has been increasingly restricted by law and banned from public spaces in many countries around the world. This fall, the United Kingdom passed a new law that will make it illegal for anyone currently aged 15 or younger to buy cigarettes. Tobacco prices are rising steadily and the packs, which are now all standardized in gray packaging, are disappearing into drawers in kiosks. E-cigarettes, on the other hand, are not subject to any of these restrictions. They are still displayed in colorful and eye-catching rows in stores, even though the latest studies show that they are just as harmful, if not more so, than conventional cigarettes.
But why are young people turning to lighters again now? Apart from the euphoria of the Brat-Summer, one thing in particular has become apparent in recent years: our fear of the future.
With the constant threat of climate crisis, a shift to the right in international politics, steadily rising food, rent, and energy prices, and political conflicts around the world, it's no surprise that many young people are pessimistic about the future. This is particularly evident on social media, where those affected gather under memes and TikTok videos and try to cope with the present through humor.
Insight
Anti-authoritarian ash
Smoking goes against many social norms and trends that we have seen in recent years. With its harmful effects on health and aging, it goes against health and anti-aging, two things that have become increasingly important in recent years, especially among women. In addition, tobacco production is very harmful to the environment, and cigarette butts cause a lot of litter pollution. Smoking becomes an act of rebellion against all these social norms and a way of opposing authoritarian structures.
When the state tries by all means to make smoking more difficult for its citizens, patriarchy demands wrinkle-free youth and conformity from women, and society wants ecologically healthy cleanliness, all of this can be criticized with the simple act of smoking.
Cigarettes also speak against the vaping epidemic of recent years. E-cigarettes became extremely popular within a very short time and also encouraged many non-smokers to consume nicotine. E-cigarettes were particularly popular among young people, and their rapid popularity meant that there were no regulations or studies on health risks.
A few years later, the mainstream is moving away from the trend again, but nicotine addiction remains. So: back to basics. On many social media platforms, e-cigarettes are already being described as cringe and out of style again. They have been left behind by the times, while cigarettes have remained relevant for decades.
The digital world has exploded in recent years and many people suffer from a generally visible digital fatigue. Cigarettes are much more natural than e-cigarettes. They are plant-based and have been part of human culture for a long time. No wonder nicotine consumers of the digital age are drawn back to plant-based alternatives.
Lighting up an obviously harmful stimulant with no clear benefits has a rebellious character, creates authority over one's own body and control over one's own future. We still have a right to self-destruction and, with increasingly bleak prospects for the future, also a right to destructive future planning. For women in particular, smoking creates authority over one's own body, takes up space, clearly goes against social ideals of beauty, and is simply dirty. Today's young people face numerous problems when it comes to the future. It is impossible to plan far ahead, and thus preventive health care with a view to old age is becoming less and less important. We are allowed to refuse and cause harm for pleasure. We are allowed to waste, shorten, and ignore our youth; it is our youth.
I would also venture to suggest that cigarettes will simply never be uncool, no matter how hard the government and healthcare system try.
Foresight
Pleasure protest
Smoking is becoming a new rebellious, anti-authoritarian, and anti-patriarchal practice due to increasing bans and fears about the future. In the future, cigarettes will take on a similarly rebellious character, similar to occasional party-specific drug use or anti-authoritarian acts such as vandalism and graffiti today. Smoking will form subcultures, unite people in protest and provocation, and create community. The more tobacco consumption is restricted, the greater the backlash will be. Smoking will be increasingly banned from public spaces and will soon only be done in secret. But then it will be done to protest with pleasure.
Text and design: Linn Gabathuler
Created in December 2024 as part of the module “Politics of Pleasure,” Bachelor Trends & Identity, Zurich University of the Arts.