Why does cigar smoking seem way more socially acceptable than cigarette smoking

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not. Both are gross.

But cigars are seen as an occasional indulgence while cigarettes are smoked multiple times a day.

I agree, both are extremely gross.
I HATE how bad cigars smell too.

But I agree….
It’s the frequency of the two.

Not quite. Up until a few years ago many people in our friend circle would smoke cigarettes very occasionally, at social gatherings (both men and women). No one seems to do that anymore and we are bombarded with all the nasty health effects of cigarettes, but guys smoking cigars on the patio seems perfectly acceptable. Not sure why.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not. Both are gross.

But cigars are seen as an occasional indulgence while cigarettes are smoked multiple times a day.

I agree, both are extremely gross.
I HATE how bad cigars smell too.

But I agree….
It’s the frequency of the two.

Not quite. Up until a few years ago many people in our friend circle would smoke cigarettes very occasionally, at social gatherings (both men and women). No one seems to do that anymore and we are bombarded with all the nasty health effects of cigarettes, but guys smoking cigars on the patio seems perfectly acceptable. Not sure why.

Changes in cultural acceptability. The cultural stigma against cigarettes in the US is so strong that people have even stopped causal usage at a party. By contrast if you live in, say, Germany, bumming a cigarette at a beer garden is no big deal and widely done. But cigars have escaped this change in cultural stigmatization, and probably because it is viewed as an occasional celebratory treat than a regular habit. And typically not inhaled.

I will say it is odd watching slightly old TV shows or movies and seeing people puffing on cigarettes and it seems so weird, whereas I distinctly remember watching the same film 20 years ago and never batted an eye. That's the change in cultural attitudes affecting how we even look at a cigarette despite never smoking.