Seductive marketing campaigns and health hazards

The tobacco industry has exploited the image of powerful and attractive women to market its products. However, smoking carries many serious health risks, especially for reproductive health and cancer.

The Tobacco Industry Targets Women: Seductive Marketing Campaigns and the Health Hazards

The tobacco industry has exploited the image of powerful and attractive women to market its products. However, smoking carries many serious health risks, especially for reproductive health and cancer.

Sophisticated marketing campaigns and the exploitation of women

Over the years, the tobacco industry has successfully exploited the psychology and image of women in its marketing and advertising campaigns.

Smoking not only damages health, but can also destroy women's lives and happiness.

The images of cigarettes associated with sexiness, independence, power and a free lifestyle have attracted millions of women around the world to use cigarettes without fully realizing the serious harm that this product brings.

But behind that charm is a dark truth that few people see: cigarettes not only harm health, but can also destroy women's lives and happiness.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are currently more than 1 billion smokers worldwide, including 200 million women. Each year, tobacco kills about 2.15 million women, a figure far greater than what the tobacco industry's advertising campaigns often convey.

Although women smokers account for only 20% of the total number of smokers worldwide, the mortality rate in this group accounts for 30% of deaths due to tobacco-related diseases.

In Vietnam, there are currently more than 400,000 female smokers, equivalent to 1.7% of the total population. This is not a small number, especially when looking at studies showing that the rate of e-cigarette use among young people, especially female students, has increased sharply in recent years.

A study by the School of Public Health found that the percentage of female students using e-cigarettes increased from 4.3% to 8% in just one year.

One of the main factors driving women to smoke is the tobacco industry’s highly sophisticated marketing campaigns. Tobacco companies use images such as freedom, power and gender equality to reach and attract female customers.

Tobacco products are associated with the image of a modern, confident and attractive woman, creating an association that smoking is an indispensable part of self-affirmation and lifestyle building.

For example, the Vogue Slim cigarette brand is designed to appeal to women, with slim cigarettes and advertising images that portray elegance and charm.

This is a clever marketing strategy, tapping into women’s concerns about their figure and appearance. However, this unintentionally covers up the fact that cigarettes cause serious health damage, especially for women.

Cigarettes and their dangerous effects on women's health

Although the harmful effects of tobacco on the health of both men and women are very serious, women are more susceptible to the effects due to specific health problems.

Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen, Director of the Poison Control Center, Bach Mai Hospital, said that smoking not only increases the risk of cancers such as lung cancer and cervical cancer, but also has negative impacts on reproductive health and the ability to conceive.

Reproductive health problems: Smoking increases the risk of infertility, premature birth, stillbirth, ectopic pregnancy and causes hormonal disorders, making women susceptible to early menopause.

During pregnancy, smoking can lead to dangerous complications such as miscarriage, stillbirth, sudden infant death syndrome and serious health problems for the baby.

Lung disease and chronic diseases: Women who smoke are at higher risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) than men. The toxins in cigarettes attack the respiratory system, blocking the airways, damaging the lining of the lungs and can lead to emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Women who smoke are up to 25.66 times more likely to develop lung cancer than non-smokers.

Although the tobacco industry has tried its best to promote its product as a symbol of female freedom and empowerment, in reality, the benefits they offer are just a marketing ploy to increase sales.

Their ultimate goal is to turn women into a larger customer base, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

According to Ms. Huynh Lan Phuong, technical advisor of Vital Strategies, 71% of female smokers today live in low- and middle-income countries, where the tobacco industry’s advertising campaigns are increasingly powerful. This makes it impossible for marketing strategies, no matter how sophisticated, to hide the truth behind the white smoke of cigarettes.

With the unpredictable health risks of tobacco, women need to be clearly aware of the harmful effects of smoking and stay away from the seductive advertising campaigns of the tobacco industry.

It is important to protect the health of yourself, your family and your community, stay away from tobacco, whether active or passive, to have a long, healthy and truly free life.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/nganh-cong-nghiep-thuoc-la-nham-den-phu-nu-chien-dich-tiep-thi-quyen-ru-va-nhung-hiem-hoa-suc-khoe-d232981.html