How TikTok and Instagram Demonize or Aestheticize Smoking

Starting around 2024, a series of overlapping trends on TikTok and Instagram revived the visual language of smoking — not as a health issue, but as a fashion accessory and aesthetic signifier [citation:1][citation:8].

🔥 “Brat Summer” (2024)

British artist Charli XCX launched the “brat summer” trend alongside her album “Brat.” In defining the aesthetic, she listed three essentials: “a pack of cigarettes, a Bic lighter, and a white linen shirt with thin shoulder straps without a bra underneath.” The trend rejected the “clean girl” aesthetic of the pandemic era in favor of something intentionally “trashy,” spontaneous, and rebellious. Neon green became the signature color, and the hashtag generated millions of views [citation:2].

👠 “Mob Wife” Aesthetic (2024-2025)

The #mobwife and #mobwifeaesthetic hashtags amassed over 300 million combined views on TikTok [citation:6]. The look — big hair, fur coats, animal prints, gold jewelry — drew inspiration from Carmela Soprano and Adriana La Cerva from “The Sopranos,” as well as the VH1 reality series “Mob Wives.” A cigarette between the lips was a key accessory. Real-life mob wife Drita D’Avanzo endorsed the trend, stating: “This is not just a look, it’s a lifestyle.” [citation:6]

📸 “Cigfluencers” and Celebrity Endorsement

Instagram accounts like @Cigfluencers curate photos of pop stars smoking in candid shots: Hailey Bieber, Addison Rae, Lily-Rose Depp, Jenna Ortega, Dua Lipa, and Rosalía have all appeared [citation:3][citation:8]. In March 2025, Vanity Fair put Kylie Jenner on its cover with a cigarette pursed between her lips [citation:8]. When Sabrina Carpenter headlined Coachella in April 2025, a prop cigarette dangled from her lips as she drove off-set [citation:8]. These images circulate widely, normalizing smoking as glamorous and sophisticated.

Experts point to several factors driving the aestheticization of smoking on social media:

• 🎭 Attention economy: Netnographer Carmen Murray explains: “It has a lot to do with the attention economy and the desperate need for visibility in an algorithmic age where people are disappearing on the algorithm and desperately trying to grab attention.” Smoking imagery stands out [citation:1].
• 📻 Nostalgia for analog authenticity: Gen Z is reacting against overly digitized, AI-generated content. Cigarettes offer a tactile, “imperfect” contrast. As one observer noted, “This is a way of saying: this is the imperfect” [citation:1].
• 😞 Loneliness and connection: The cigarette revival isn’t just rebellion — it’s a response to digital fatigue. Cigarettes offer a “real-world excuse” to connect — a lighter borrowed, a conversation sparked [citation:3].
• 🎬 Celebrity and media influence: The 25th anniversary of “The Sopranos,” the revival of “Mob Wives” on streaming, and music videos from artists like Sabrina Carpenter have all reintroduced smoking imagery to younger audiences who missed the original broadcasts [citation:6][citation:8].
• 🚬 Rebellion against the “clean girl”: After years of pandemic-era minimalism and wellness culture, some Gen Zers are deliberately embracing “trashy” aesthetics as a form of rebellion. Smoking is the ultimate anti-wellness statement [citation:2].

While users aestheticize smoking, the platforms themselves actively suppress it. Meta (parent company of Facebook and Instagram) has intensified enforcement around tobacco-related content [citation:4][citation:9].

📉 Algorithmic Shadowbanning

• Reduced reach and visibility: Even posts that don’t explicitly violate written rules may have their reach limited, be suppressed in feeds, or be blocked from recommendation algorithms [citation:4].
• AI-driven moderation: Automated systems and evolving enforcement standards flag tobacco content — sometimes inconsistently. What passes one day may be suppressed the next [citation:9].
• No direct promotion: Pricing, discounts, “available now” language, and calls to action (“DM to buy,” “in stock”) are strictly prohibited [citation:4].
• Lifestyle content is safer: The Premium Cigar Association advises shifting to lifestyle, educational, and community-focused content rather than direct product promotion to avoid suppression [citation:4].

📊 The Suppression Gap

Research from other countries shows how extreme the imbalance can be. In Mexico, a study found that on Instagram, tobacco promotion content had 108 times more reach than health advocacy content [citation:10]. This was true despite (or perhaps because of) algorithmic suppression — the sheer volume of aesthetic content overwhelms health messaging.

Interestingly, some Gen Z smokers report switching from vaping to cigarettes. This counterintuitive trend has several drivers [citation:8]:

• 📉 Vaping fatigue: Many young people who started vaping as teens now want to quit, but there’s no established “offramp.” Ironically, some see cigarettes as a way to reduce their nicotine dependence — swapping one vice for another.
• 🚭 The “cigarette as offramp” paradox: Deanna Halliday, a post-doctoral scholar at UCSF, notes: “When vaping exploded in popularity among youth, there was no offramp for those who eventually wanted to stop. Oddly enough, cigarettes might be seen as a potential offramp.” [citation:8]
• 🌿 Cannabis pairing: Pamela Ling, a UCSF professor, observes: “People used to say smoking and drinking go together like milk and cookies. These days, pairing smoking cannabis and tobacco is very common.” [citation:8]
• 🎨 The aesthetic gap: Vaping never offered the visual romance of a cigarette — no glowing cherry, no curling smoke, no ritual. Cigarettes feel more “real” and cinematic, which aligns with Gen Z’s nostalgia for analog authenticity [citation:3].

Rutgers public health researchers have documented the dangers of social media glamorization [citation:7]:

• 📈 Increased favorable attitudes: Exposure to visually appealing tobacco marketing is associated with more favorable attitudes toward tobacco products and increased interest in trying them, particularly among young people [citation:7].
• 😎 False sense of safety: Young people who notice features like bright colors, sleek design, flavor appeal, and user endorsements are more likely to find products attractive and potentially less harmful [citation:7].
• 🎭 Deceptive marketing tactics: Tobacco brands have shifted messaging from “additive-free” to phrases like “tobacco and water” to maintain the perception of purity while sidestepping regulatory scrutiny [citation:7].

Tobacco companies have not been passive observers of this trend. They are actively shifting their marketing strategies to align with social media aesthetics [citation:7][citation:10]:

• 🎬 Influencer partnerships: Tobacco companies are increasingly using social media influencers to promote their products in lifestyle contexts rather than direct advertising [citation:7].
• 📱 Hashtag campaigns: Brands encourage user-generated content through hashtags that blend organically with aesthetic trends.
• 🖼️ Visual-first marketing: Sleek product photography, vintage filters, and aspirational settings replace traditional overt advertising.
• 🚸 Youth targeting: Research shows that 76% of tobacco promotion content on social media originates from the industry itself [citation:10]. In Mexico, a study found that on Instagram, tobacco promotion had 108x the reach of health advocacy content.

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• 📦 Convenient delivery: Ships to every province and territory.
• 🪶 Legal and regulated: Native cigarettes are manufactured on First Nations reserves and sold through legitimate channels.
• 🚫 No social media games: We don’t rely on viral aesthetics. We sell tobacco at fair prices, plain and simple.