Tobacco Advertisements and Cognitive Dissonance Every day millions of Americans reach for a pack of cigarettes and light up first thing in the morning, after a meal, during times of stress, or just out of habit and addiction. Smoking has almost become an unofficial pastime and despite warnings from government entities like the Surgeon General, the American Heart Association, and the American Cancer Society that smoking is linked to numerous health hazards and early death, people still continue this dangerous practice (Powers). The basic need to survive is engrained in human beings, but the act of smoking is contrary to that drive. The state of cognitive dissonance created in the mind of the smoker should be enough to protect them from temptation …show more content…
Essentially in a state of cognitive dissonance our behaviors do not match our beliefs. This is especially demonstrated by America’s attitude and behavior when it comes to smoking. The behavior in this example is continuing to smoke while simultaneously having the belief that smoking causes cancer. According to Leon Festinger’s theory on cognitive dissonance from 1957, we have an inner drive to hold all attitudes and beliefs in harmony and to avoid disharmony (McLeod). The state of cognitive dissonance causes a feeling of uneasiness or tension that needs to be resolved in the person’s mind. This can be accomplished in three ways. First, the individual can change their attitudes or beliefs to match the conflicting information. Smokers do this by changing their attitude about smoking. For example, reasoning that smoking is not as bad as the experts say or citing an example of a relative that smoked every day of their life and lived to be a 100 years old. Secondly the individual reduces the dissonance by acquiring new information that outweighs the discordant belief. This is done by perhaps reasoning that no studies have ever linked lung cancer to smoking or nicotine has some undiscovered health benefits. Finally, the importance of the cognition can be downgraded in the individual’s mind by making excuses for …show more content…
Virginia Slims is a brand of cigarettes primarily marketed to women. The idea to market a slim cigarette to women was first conceived in the 1960s by Philip Morris with the slogan “You’ve Come a Long Way Baby” (Jakobson). The slogan appealed to the women’s liberation movement, the freedom of contraception offered by the birth control pill, and women entering the workplace. This particular ad shows a woman dressed in brightly colored clothes in mid stride or perhaps jumping or dancing depending on the interpretation of her movements. Her demeanor exudes freedom and frivolity with a care free attitude. Above the image of a woman is a sepia toned photograph of another woman pushing an old-fashioned plow in a field with a man following her that could possibly be her oppressive husband. He appears to be holding up his fist as if he is a taskmaster forcing her to plow the field without the help of a team of horses or modern farming equipment. The Virginia Slims slogan, “You’ve Come a Long Way Baby” is printed in bold letters underneath two packages of cigarettes. The placement of the woman’s right hand seems to be pointing to the cigarettes as if suggesting smoking Virginia Slims has liberated her from the traditional subservient role of homemaker. This tactic fits into the basic appeal of the need to achieve, autonomy, and possibly the need to dominate with the idea women have been oppressed by men. The woman is