Two Things, This the less important one...

 ... why has smoking become cool again? In ads, fashion shows, celebrity shoots, and entertainment media, smoking is becoming more and more prevalent. It is once again being thought of as cool.

This is an image from a New York Times story on something else, but it captures the idea that today, all the cool kids smoke.

Many of you may be thinking that something is a little off and overthinking this. Others may think I have taken a left instead of a right on the road to WhatTheHelliStan. 

But let's press on.* I have two thoughts. Note that both of these are only my assumptions - I haven't investigated them because this is more fun.

1. All the cool girls are doing it. 

• In the past, the "bad boys" in movies or TV were often portrayed as smokers who broke the rules set by "the man." True, "the man" was usually a lady teacher or your mom, but that only seems really odd in retrospect.
• Today, many of the smokers are young women, often inhabiting places where smoking makes them cool. You don't eat as much. You can drag out a cigarette break. Nursing a cocktail for the same amount of time just looks pathetic
• It's naughty. Smoking has the thrill of being a bad girl. You can't legally smoke almost anywhere now, bars, restaurants, beaches, parks, movie theaters, etc - so smoking is a low-key bad boy activity, but with totally low stakes if you're caught.
• Few celebrities' pictures are as evocative as black and white close-ups with smoke curling in the background of a sultry smile. That same picture in color (and real life) is SO MUCH LESS attractive (see headline shot)

2. Legal changes in the media. You can smoke on TV now.

• Follow me for a minute here. The FCC has established several rules for broadcast channels over the years. For years, people couldn't smoke on TV unless it was shown in a very bad moral light. Remember "Friends." None of the major characters smoked.
• This changed with the introduction of cable channels. Since these weren't terrestrial "broadcasters," but were provided via paid private cables, they could ignore the rules. Many of the early Calle shows featured our new anti-heroes smoking. Sure, it was a character flaw, but a minor one that users could easily overlook.

• Aside: You can also tell the difference by the use of seat belts. For shows made to be broadcast on public channels, right before a car moves, everyone in the front seats must put on a seatbelt. There are a few exceptions made for police and emergency vehicles. On cable, seat belts are inconsequential in nearly all cases.

One last thing. In my age-appropriate group of friends,  almost no one smokes. And when we ask each other why (sometimes there is a smoker with us, so we all have to go to the patio - and we all quiz him why), a common answer comes back. Almost all of us had parents who smoked. Our memories aren't of stars on the big screen puffing away, it was of the smell that overwhelmed you. In the car, windows rolled up, pre-air conditioning air floating around getting thicker like a Cheech and Chong movie, but without the fun part.