What do you think about characters who smoke?

[nekokaburi]

Why are scenes of characters smoking in drama CDs and games so unexpectedly sexy?!
Honestly, I hate cigarettes and the smell in real life, but when it's my favorite character smoking, it transforms into the ultimate aesthetic!
The casual gesture of placing a hand on the ashtray, the melancholic eyes hidden behind the smoke, the decadent expression as they exhale the purple smoke... It's something that would never happen in reality, but on screen, the sexiness is extraordinary.
Are there others who feel the same way as me?!

 

[shishy]

ME!

Smoking always looks so hot in media T_T irl though, the smell makes me wanna barf.

I think it's probably because big tobacco companies have spent centuries and billions on marketing campaigns and we are now collectively brainwashed into subconsciously associating smoking with something cool.

Like, I really doubt we'd have the same perception of smoking if they included coughing fits, constant spitting, bad breath and teeth plaque in their ads.

 

[ynnaliaa]

Personally, I don't really mind it as part of a character's personality or aesthetic, as long as the story doesn't try too hard to romanticize it. Sometimes it can fit a character really well, especially with certain archetypes.