My thoughts on Smoking...

Following infidelity we were asked to focus on smoking, but were told not to 'fret about health concerns'. !!!! I don't think i can do a post about my thoughts on smoking without including the health repurcussions for those who smoke themselves, or who are exposed to smoke by others.

What we were asked to consider...

-what makes smoking so attractive as a pursuit? (matter of opinion)
-to understand the continued fascination with smoking

In my mind, smoking is a disgusting habit and about as far from attractive as possible. I can't think of a bigger turn off than if a man was a smoker. The bad breath, yellow fingers, premature ageing, rough skin and stained teeth are one thing, but the real reason i find it a turn off is because to me smoking is a sign of weakness. I have a very difinitive idea as to what qualities make up a real man. Men should be strong in mind, spirit and stature. The thought of a man not having the willpower or inner strength to kick the habit, sends the message to my brain that he is weaker than i am and so doesnt fulfil my image of a man. He therefore wouldnt be anybody i could see myself with.

If anybody reading is thinking something along the following lines, "Some people are not addicted to smoking, they just choose to smoke." - This doesnt change me finding it a turn off, if somebody is not addicted to smoking but does it out of choice despite being aware of the health consequences, that is equally unattractive.

Interestingly, number one on http://www.artofseductions.com/top-100-things-that-attract-women-to-men/ in the list of the top 100 things that attract women to men is-
Clear, beautiful and healthy looking eyes.
because...... Eyes provide an insight on the level of health of the individual, and healthy eyes indicate a healthy mate.

Evolutionary theories suggest that we are more attracted to people whom we consider to be healthy. I think this also plays a part in smoking being such an immense turn off to me. According to the theory, we are more likely to be attracted to those we view as the most healthy, as we believe healthy genetics will be passed on to our offspring. Other areas of the theory inlude the idea that we are attracted to people we deem similar to ourselves. The one blog i came across in which the writer felt smoking was attractive, was a smoker, so perhaps this explains that.

I have personally never tried smoking, and honestly do not believe i ever will. My boyfriend also has never tried smoking, so this would reinforce the evolutionary theory.
Something else I have heard that i thought was worth mentioning, is that girls often are attracted to men who remind them of their father. I have never seen my dad smoke, and to my knowledge he hasnt ever been a smoker, so this too may explain why some people find smoking attractive whilst others do not.
Read more on Evolutionary Theories with regards to attraction at: http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/ViewArticle.aspx?articleid=2579271

I don't wish to judge anybody that smokes, i just personally dont view it as attractive for the reasons listed above. I believe in freedom of choice for the individual, but often smoking effects non-smokers too. For example, a pregnant woman that smokes does not give their unborn child freedom of choice.

I am glad the smoking ban was introduced, mostly because i used to work in bars and restaurants between the ages of 14 and 17, and during that time i will have been exposed to many of the dangers of smoking. I'm glad that people in that situation now, won't experience the same dangers, whether they are smokers or non-smokers.

During this post i have suggested scientific reasons as to why smoking could be deemed attractive and explain the fascination behind it, but i will later look at factors such as marketing and the perception of smokers through out history.