IngentaConnect Return of the Marlboro Man? Recreational Smoking among Young Norw...

Authors: Krange O.; Pedersen W.

Source: Journal of Youth Studies, Volume 4, Number 2, 1 June 2001 , pp. 155-174(20)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

Abstract:

Originally 'The Marlboro Man' symbolized autonomy, power and sexuality. Throughout the Western world, cigarette smoking has increasingly become associated with addiction, low social class and marginality. On the other hand, prevalence rates remain high in many countries, and few smoking prevention programmes seem effective. This paper distinguishes between recreational and daily smoking practices, and asks whether recreational smokers also fit the stigma. Using a longitudinal dataset of adolescents followed up from their early teens and into early adulthood, the stability of various smoking practices was investigated. Drawing on, for example, Bourdieu's concept of cultural capital, the study tried to determine whether recreational vs. daily smoking is associated with different characteristics as regards lifestyles, cultural preferences and educational choices. The findings revealed that young recreational smokers have shorter and less stable smoking careers than their daily-smoking peers. Further, they are much better endowed with social and cultural resources than daily smokers, in some instances even more than non-smokers. It is suggested that these 'successful' smokers can shape our perceptions of cigarette smoking to some degree, and that these smoking practices can illustrate the pleasures and the 'hipness' which many teenagers associate with smoking. These characteristics should be borne in mind when cigarette prevention programmes are designed.

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Return of the Marlboro Man? Recreational Smoking among Young Norwegian Adults