Page 243 - Sociology and You

Chapter 7 Deviance and Social Control 213
Sociology
Is Teen Smoking a Deviant Behavior?
Doing Sociology
Today
Sociologist Philip Hilts believes that tobacco companies target young people in their advertise- ments and that the strategy has a sociological basis.
[C]hildren are just beginning to shape their image of themselves, elbowing out a niche in the world, and must somehow differentiate themselves from parents and other adults, and get out from under what the authorities in life want from them. They dress differently, sometimes shock- ingly. They listen to different, sometimes shocking, music. In this quest, the children are worried, insecure, seeking to make choices and have them supported by their friends or others they re- spect. Most obviously, their choices are supported by each other. They have learned to lean on each other for aid and assent. Sometimes older siblings lend support. But because the insecurity is great, as many supports as possible are needed (Hilts, 1997:33).
Cigarette advertising, claims Hilts, por- trays smoking as another ally in teenagers’ attempts to find their own identities. Smoking is portrayed as a pleasurable, cool way for them to declare their successful transition into adulthood. In other words, tobacco corporations assume correctly that teenagers are at a time in their lives when deviant behavior can serve a developmental need. To teens, smoking (like their choice of clothing, music, and slang) begins as simply a form of deviance.
Do you agree with Hilts’s analysis? State your arguments for or against it. Search magazines and newspapers for examples
of advertising that emphasizes “young adult smokers” moving into adult activities. Or, see if you can find any advertisements that picture middle-aged or older people smok- ing. Why do you think these ads are virtu- ally unknown?
This mural advertising a brand of cigarettes is designed to attract the attention and admiration of teenagers.