Sunday, 16 August 2009

Smoke or not to smoke?










NHS Smoking Helpline, NLP ,laser acupuncture are just some techniques you can choose to help you go smokefree. 9 million Britons feel the hardship of nicotine addiction in the new healthy society. The perception of smoking had changed drastically. From being advertised by the biggest 30s -40s Hollywood stars (like Clark Gable or John Wayne) in multimillion dollar deals to a growing legislation against anti-social smoking spreading around the world.



From the semiotics perspective it is a significant shift. The cigarette itself did not change much but what it signifies turned 180 degrees. Roland Barthes - a well known semiotician - suggested that this process undergoes various manipulations, in this case a desire to sell the product against the new scientific facts.





These days instead of the iconic faces, the society is being fed with cancer-eaten bodies of the social campaigns. A shocking imagery is changing the perception of a smoker who is pushed to the streets in the 21st century's 'pavement-smoking' culture.

3 comments:

  1. it's sort of life changing experience I assume..
    ..the arms-pics-agree but they remind me of that cool photographer-I forgot his name so help me out-he done the royal families in white costumes and 'recreated a symbolic sign of their death'. pretty creapy but beautiful in the same time. what's his name my Dear Elrossiter?

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  2. ok i know..Matthew Barney?yup)

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  3. matthew barney my dear tsunamon. not familiar with this gentleman.

    now your bloggin's come to a stop, not that i have a working computer to keep up with it like.

    elrossiter x x x x x x x x x

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