A small roll of finely cut tobacco wrapped in paper, meant to be smoked. It is often sold in packs and is known to be harmful to health.
From French "cigarette," a diminutive of "cigare" meaning "cigar," which came from Spanish "cigarro." The "-ette" ending means "little," so it literally means "little cigar."
The word itself advertises it as a "cute little cigar," which made it feel less scary to early users. Language helped shrink something dangerous into something that sounded small and harmless.
Cigarette marketing historically used gendered imagery—portraying smoking as masculine sophistication or, later, as women’s liberation and slimness. These campaigns exploited gender norms to normalize and glamorize smoking.
Discuss cigarettes factually, avoiding glamorization or gendered stereotypes about who smokes or why.
["tobacco product","smoke","cig (informal)"]
Acknowledge health advocates, including many women activists and researchers, who challenged gender‑targeted tobacco marketing and documented its harms.
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