The most recent national survey data show that adolescent smoking rates continue to rise. Lung cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death among U.S. women, surpassing breast cancer in 1987. This year alone, lung cancer will kill nearly 68,000 women in the United States. Women who stop smoking greatly reduce their risk of dying prematurely, and quitting smoking is beneficial at all ages. Due to advertisements now often targeting adolescent women, it is easy to see why they start to smoke. There are also psychological reasons such as stress relief, which makes women even more addicted to smoking cigarettes. I do believe there are ways we can decrease the going rate of adolescent smoking. Family, schools, and awareness can play a major role in doing so.
             Before we can try to decrease the smoking rate among adolescent women, we must look at why they start smoking. Many teen women see smoking as a way to relax and deal with stress, which is not true because smoking cigarettes is proven to cause anxiety. Smoking is also viewed as a way to make friends and be accepted by peers. Teen women who smoke may believe it is a way to gain independence from parents. The problem is that when they realize it is time to quit, they become so addicted that they can not stop even though they want to. Disadvantaged teen women see cigarettes as a status symbol. They believe cigarettes provide a substitute for lack of material possessions and this makes them feel less deprived. Teen women also see smoking as an appropriate way to control weight. I think that advertisements are partially responsible for some of these perceptions.
             Adolescent women have been targeted in many cigarette advertisements ever since the 1960's. Brands such as Lucky Strike and Virginia Slims give out false messages toward women in their advertisements. They use beautiful thin women to promote these products, making adolescent women believe they can lose weight by smoking.
             ...