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NEWS: The Herald-Sun 22 May 03: Health lobby fuming over Nicole's puff

BigTrancer

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Health lobby fuming over Nicole's puff

By MANDI ZONNEVELDT, health reporter
22may03


NICOLE Kidman has angered health groups for lighting up during an appearance at the Cannes Film Festival.

Footage of the Aussie actor smoking was beamed around the world after she took a cigarette from co-star Stellan Skarsgard and lit up during a press conference to promote her new film, Dogville.

Kidman was admonished by the film's director, Lars Von Trier, but shrugged her shoulders and kept puffing.

Anti-smoking groups yesterday criticised Kidman for glamorising smoking and perpetuating the image that the habit was associated with success.

Anne Jones, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health Australia, said Kidman's decision to smoke at the press conference would have a devastating effect on the health of young women and girls.

"Smoking by celebrities has been used by the tobacco industry for decades to glamorise smoking," she said.

"We accept that Nicole Kidman has a right to smoke but with celebrity comes a responsibility to avoid promoting lethal and addictive products to young people."

Quit chief executive Todd Harper said Kidman's decision to light up was disappointing.

"If we're looking at the problem of young people and smoking, most young people start before the age of 18," he said.

"People like Nicole are the sort of people who are looked up to by younger people in the community. It's disappointing she chose this sort of forum to do it in."

A recent study in the British Medical Journal found children whose favourite actors smoked in films were more likely to have tried cigarettes.

Smoking kills 6000 women every year in Australia and costs the country $21 billion.

Democrats health and ageing spokeswoman Senator Lyn Allison called on the Federal Government to act on its promise to introduce health warnings on films depicting smoking.

She said glamorising smoking in films and fashion was a method frequently used by tobacco companies to attract young women.

Kidman's Australian publicist, Wendy Day, could not be contacted yesterday.

From: http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,6471878%5E2902,00.html

Damn, you can't even enjoy legal drugs in peace for fear of being accused of "promoting lethal and addictive products to young people".

BigTrancer ;)
 
That's fucking rubbish IMHO...

She has the right to smoke. If she shouldn't, why fuck is it legal?


:)
 
"We accept that Nicole Kidman has a right to smoke but with celebrity comes a responsibility to avoid promoting lethal and addictive products to young people."
I've had a similar discussion in another forum on the repsonsibilities of celebrities and initially had the same view as you, Apollo.

Sure she has a right to smoke and she did. However celebrities, whether they like it or not, do have a certain social responsibility. Their millions of adoring fans either consiously or subconsciously emulate certain aspects of their idols. For e.g. if Britney Spears dresses like a skank, so do millions of teenage girls.

It is up to the celebs themselves how they choose to use that power, but they are in the public eye so need to accept they will both be emulated and abused for their choices.

This is where their own ethics and morals come in. In the case of smoking everyone knows it's bad for you. So why do anything that would encourage people to take it up? Kids don't care about health issues like that because it is too remote to them, but they do care what "cool" people do.

I know you & BT were commenting on the hypocrisy of the lawmakers, but I felt like saying this anyway. :)
 
^ Oh yeah - ever since all the celebs started collapsing at Viper Room, I just wanted to do speedballs and throw $100,000 drug parties for all my A-list friends... ;)

j/k ... BT
 
I'm a smoker and I'm all for smokers rights but I think it was bad form. Like it or not, young people aren't that bright, they see famous people, especially a celebrity doing something, they think it's cool and go do it. She could have waited till after the press conference.

I just wish a celeb would crush a pill and rack it up at a press conference.
 
How about this, she also rocked up with no shoes on to the festival and walked the red carpet!!!!!!!!!!!!
What a legend i envy her!!!!!!!!!!! She is fantastic!!!!!!!!!!
 
I know smoking is legal but it was a wrong move IMO. She must have known people would disagree with her actions I think she is just trying to get some attention. :)
 
dimmo said:
Being legal, doesn't mean its morally acceptable (ie prostitution)
I don't find prosotitution morally unacceptable. And it is illegal in some places. Anyway...I think apollo's comment was tongue in cheek. Look what a lot of us on this board get up to.
 
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The more smoking is recognised for the disgusting fucking drug that it is the better....

"Isn't it ironic that two drugs (drugs and alcohol) that do ABSOLUTLY NOTHING for you are legal while drugs which open your minds to new possibilities and make you realise your being FUCKED everyday of your life are illegal... concidence?"
Bill Hicks

and yes i see the irony of quoting someone who constantly promoted ones own right to smoke ciggerettes.
 
Whose morals?

Hehee the Herald-Sun had 'on the street' style snippets from about 6 sixteen and seventeen year olds asking the question of them "Do you think Nicole Kidman's cigarette will encourage young people to smoke?" ... they all replied in the affirmative. The best comment was the last girl though, I think she was 15-16, who said "Well... if young people looked up to her then maybe it would influence their decision, but I don't."

I'll guarantee there's a fuckload more people out there that XTC is a helluva lot more disgusting and filthy and wrong than alcohol...

BigTrancer :)
 
BigTrancer said:

I'll guarantee there's a fuckload more people out there that XTC is a helluva lot more disgusting and filthy and wrong than alcohol...

poor fools....
:)
 
Personally, I think the most unattractive thing a girl can do is have a ciggie in her mouth. Most of my friends even that smoke think this too. That's just my 2 cents worth and not in specific relation to the moral issue.
 
IMO, if I knew Nicole Kidman quite well then it would be more disgusting to me...than if I was to see her as a 'star' as then smoking would be as a few stated just part of her 'image'. Which probably isn't that good for the young smokers out there....but it is definitely her choice to smoke & our choice to watch or do the same! You can blame society for something here but not her!!!

IMHO:)
 
The question to be asked I think is not "did she do something wrong", but whether it is okay for people to make it the front-page in national newspapers, and for everyone to have a go at her.

Sure, she is a celebrity and is well aware that her every movement is filmed. But what she does it her thing. Maybe it was not smart, but it's her choice. If she wins an award, put it on the front-page. Fair enough.

But stop picking through the fine details of her life, give her a break. God i hate some jurnos...

Point: If they didn't make such a fuss of it all, most ppl would not know about it (i didn't). By hyping it up, more ppl see it, and may be influenced. They don't even realise they are hurting their own goals!
 
I guess it depends on what type of celebrity you are. A rock star would get away with this and nobody would bat an eyelid.

Excellent point also from sleepDeprived - if it wasn't for the media having a heart attack over this then the only people that could possibly be influenced would be those in the audience in front of her (which I doubt contained all that many impressionable minors). But instead they've told the world about it, and shown kids across the globe who would otherwise be oblivious that Nicole smokes.

Sure, she might have a responsibility, but so do the media in my opinion. It works both ways.
 
Originally posted by sleepDeprived
But stop picking through the fine details of her life, give her a break. God i hate some jurnos...
Unfortunately this isn't going to change in a hurry so deal with it in another way. The stars know their every move is scrutinised so they should act as they see fit. So once again it's back to them. Not saying it's right or fair, just they way it is.

I agree with Pleo, but the problem is the media is not going to improve. Individuals can alter their behaviour. It's up to Ms Kidman if she does or not and she will get a reponse whatever happens.
 
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