What would Audrey do?

Though we may not be aware of it at first, the cigarette holder, a fashion accessory of the early 1900s, is an object whose design is dangerous to society. Looking at old pictures of inspirational women of the early 20^th century, like this famous one of Audrey Hepburn from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, we can see how the cigarette holder exudes glamour and elegance.

Consequently, many women flocked towards having cigarette holders so they, too, could look glamorous and elegant.

However, the promotion of the cigarette holder as glamorous only promotesdsmoking (which, of course, is bad for your health)! Sure, its slender body, its ability to filter, and keep your fingers from being dirty and ashy is appealing, but what about your health? Are the benefits of glamour greater than your life?

The simple, slender design of the cigarette holder made it glamorous and part of the upper class, and promoted the idea of the glamour in smoking, as well. Though the design was not intentionally created to promote the unhealthy habit of smoking, the connotations it suggested made the cigarette holder an indirect danger to society. More and more women started smoking because they thought it made them seem part of a higher society.

This brings to question the larger picture of how design can truly affect a larger society. The glamour of the cigarette holder overruled the effects smoking had on women’s health. As the dangers of smoking is still not stressed enough even in today’s society, the idea that smoking was bad did not affect women’s view of the prestigious cigarette holder. Thus, we see that social responsibility did not play a role in the creation and promotion of the cigarette holder and the ethics of women’s health was not considered. Prestige took precedence over long-term health. Though its danger is subtle, the design of the cigarette holder was detrimental to women’s health during the early 20^th century.

What designs today show similar affects as the cigarette holder? Are there objects whose negative effects we ignore because we’d rather look cool?