Smoking fetishism

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smoker

As smoking fetishism (also Capnolagnia ) refers to a form of fetishism that the smoking of tobacco in the form of cigarettes , cigars , more rarely whistle has in view. Smoking fetishists perceive the sight of people who smoke as sexually arousing and / or aesthetic , the strength of this sensation varying.

diagnosis

In addition to the diagnostic criteria of general fetishism , the following criteria apply. People who experience one or more of the following symptoms are considered smoking fetishists:

• Sexual interest in watching other people smoke.
• Recurring intense sexual fantasies that involve watching other people smoke.
• Recurring intense sexual desire to watch other people smoke.

Capnolagnia is not viewed as a disease, but rather as a sexual preference. Many smoking fetishists do not seek medical or psychotherapeutic help unless the fetish is making them uncomfortable in their daily lives. The majority of smoking fetishists have learned to accept their fetish and enjoy it in a timely manner.

Distribution and social position

In recent years, smoking fetishism has become increasingly socially unacceptable in Western cultures because of the dwindling acceptance of smoking itself. For this reason, followers of smoking fetishism are often reluctant to admit it, which is why its actual spread in society cannot be precisely estimated. However, it seems to occur in all cultures , as relevant web offers from Asia, North and South America and Europe show.

Women who smoke are usually the subject of discussion, since the fetish is apparently predominantly developed by heterosexual men and is presented in the media almost exclusively as a phenomenon of this population group. However, there are also homosexual smoking fetishists of both sexes, whose distribution and preferences are largely unknown.

Possible causes for this form of fetishism

An official psychological justification for smoking fetishism has not yet been found. In the private sphere, however, there are already theses that have been drawn up through self-analysis by those affected. Some of these theses contain aspects from the following groups:

• Childhood : experiences with one or more smokers who were perceived as attractive during childhood
• Media : early contact with sexualized depictions of female smokers, especially through advertising , the era of film noir , and pornography
• Body language : feminine body language used by smokers
• Taboo : Perceived independence or rebellious behavior by smokers, despite social rejection of the same
• Impulsivity : perceived symbolism of a courageous or impulsive personality
• Self-awareness : perceived self-awareness of smokers
• Seduction : the perceived power of persuading or seducing another person to smoke
• Sadomasochism : sadistic feelings about the harmfulness of smoking
• psychosexual development : phenomena in the oral or phallic phase of child development, based on the theory of Sigmund Freud

A possible visual connection with the tobacco product as a phallic symbol is mentioned, as well as the imaginable idea of ​​feminization and disempowerment of the non-smoking man by the smoking woman as a result of this image. This is intensified by smoking, which is traditionally not common for women, who thus penetrate a male domain. When it was socially frowned upon for women to smoke, the image of a smoking woman gained additional eroticism. Also from earlier times and more related to women, the representations were in older epochs of film history, especially from the time of film noir .

With the increase in anti-smoking campaigns (see World No Tobacco Day ), smoking is increasingly becoming a rule violation or a taboo ; erotic images of people who smoke may gain part of their charisma from the fact that they represent the break of such a taboo. In some contexts of the sadomasochistic subculture , smoking is ritualized and eroticized, whereby the dominant part of the relationship is generally understood to be the person who smokes or who can use smoking and tobacco products as a means of power.

Culture and history

Smoking woman around 1910

Woman smoking on the cover of a magazine, 1939

Due to the estimated relatively low prevalence of smoking fetishism, this phenomenon was largely unknown before the advent of the Internet . But then followers of the fetish met online, exchanged or sold pictures of smoking women, short stories, reported observations (“sightings”) or discussed in forums . Some of the early newsgroups on the subject were alt.smokers.glamour ( ASG ) and alt.sex.fetish.smoking ( ASFS ). In addition to such free addresses, which often offer scanned pictures from magazines or your own snapshots, numerous commercial Internet offers have emerged in the meantime, where you can purchase videos of photo models who smoke in front of the camera. For example, Andrew Blake , a well-known producer of erotic high-gloss films in the field of sexual fetishism, occasionally incorporates smoking into his films, mostly in connection with lesbian eroticism .

In general, the manifestation of smoking fetishism is so differentiated that the content available on the internet also varies greatly. While you can find pictures and videos of naked or even naked pregnant smokers on some websites , others focus, for example, on the most creative ways of smoking and on the optimal representation of a smoker's personality. In general, it can be said that the offers are as differentiated as the fetish itself and for this reason no special phenotype of smoking fetishism can be named, but at most characteristics that are shared by the majority of all those affected.

Types of smoking fetishism

The term "smoking fetishism" is a generic term for different types of fetishism that are related to smoking. Roughly divided, there are two clearly recognizable directions, the so-called "light side" and, as its counterpart, the so-called "shadow side", with flowing transitions in the fetishistic practices. Generally, however, followers of the “light side” find the practices of the “dark side” repulsive and vice versa. The terms reflect the contrast between these two types of smoking fetishism. However, it must be ensured that these terms are not to be understood as a strict categorization.

Light side

Some, but not all, fetishists share a fascination with the generally positive aspects of smoking (relaxation, well-being, aesthetics, social aspects); this style is often referred to as the light side. The negative consequences that result from smoking ( addiction , health impairments of any form, changed smell, costs) are deliberately played down by followers of that kind or perceived as sexually unattractive. Some, but not all, of those affected even pretend that smoking is healthy, or at least hardly harmful. Practices are above all smoking techniques perceived as sensual , for example drawing smoke from the mouth into the nose (“French inhalation”) or transferring smoke while kissing (“smoky kisses”), sometimes also during sexual intercourse .

Downside

On the other hand, there are fetishists who find the addictive properties of nicotine and the harmful aspects of smoking erotic, and so there is a type of smoking fetishism, often called the "dark side" or "lung damage", that concerns women who are affected by smoking and harm themselves (or even their future baby ). So-called "forced smoking", in which other people (mostly non-smokers) are forced to smoke, also belongs to this category. Coughing and sometimes shortness of breath are perceived as arousing, often also in themselves in the case of smokers who are affected. Many of those affected intentionally smoke a lot to intensify this effect, or find it arousing when another person smokes. There are corresponding practices, such as smoking cigars on the lungs or misappropriating gas masks, whereby the filter is removed and replaced with cigarettes or cigars, which are typical of the "dark side".

Notes on classification

A single Rauchfetischist has individual preferences that result from one of the two categories may , but need not result exclusively. The division into "light side" and "shadow side" is therefore phenomenologically applicable to the totality of smoking fetishists, but no definitive conclusions can be drawn from it about the preferences of individuals.

Smoking fetishism and subjective evaluation of harmfulness

The possible harm that smoking can cause to smokers is known; the individual concerned deal with it in very different ways: Non-smoking fetishists, for example, seek a consensus between their fetish and the derogatory feelings they harbor towards smokers, while others fixate on harmful aspects of smoking, sometimes even try to reinforce them and to be emphasized or highlighted in particular (see "shadow side").

Another problem arises from accepting harm to another person in order to satisfy one's own fetish, especially in connection with relationships in which this fetish is lived out. Living out the fetish would be conceivable in relationships if both partners adhere to the rule "safe, sane and consensual" (safe, sensible and mutually agreed action) known from the BDSM scene .

Smoking fetishists who smoke themselves generally find it more difficult to quit than those who are not affected by fetishism, since with them not only nicotine addiction but also the smoking fetish can be the cause of the desire to smoke.

Smoking fetishism and neoterophilia

In smoking fetishism elements of Neoterophilie suspected as the motive of the girl in their teens, which is from disgusted Non smoking for hopelessly dependent smokers, recurrent in the rauchfetischistischen literature. Whether this assumption is correct is disputed because most smokers actually started at a young age and thus a clear distinction between neoterophilia and the personal preferences of a fetishist is not possible. If this assumption is correct, it does not apply to all smoking fetishists, as some of those affected - mostly adults - nevertheless prefer adult smokers, as relevant blogs , forum posts , stories, picture galleries and treatises on the subject show. In contrast, adolescent smoking fetishists also seem to prefer adolescent smokers.

Smoking fetishistic preferences

The main focus of fetishists often differs from person to person and appears to be heavily influenced individually: While many high value on the (very) deep inhalation of tobacco smoke in the lung (Inhale) and place the subsequent exhalation (Exhale) - with long, Especially blowing-out practices are apparently preferred - others pay attention to possible “smoking tricks” that are practiced by the person who smokes. Many of those affected who find the practices on the "dark side" appealing particularly like it when the smoke is left in the lungs for a long time, which increases the harmful effects on health - those affected who attribute their preferences to the "light side", on the other hand, often like practices that are perceived as particularly sensual . Even pure lascivious posing with a cigarette in front of the camera (with gloves or cigarette holder ) triggers sometimes violent sexual reactions in many of those affected, the intensity of which, however, depends heavily on personal preferences . Similar to common sexual preferences, tastes seem to be different here too.

Nevertheless, there are certain aspects that can be encountered again and again, which are obviously perceived by many smoking fetishists as sexually arousing or aesthetic.

Examples of such preferences

The following list is by no means exhaustive, it is only intended to give a few examples.

The individual preferences of smoking fetishists differ greatly.

• Gender and age of the person who smokes - this clearly shows a preference for women who smoke, presumably because of the high proportion of heterosexual men among the fetishists. Young women, estimated to be sixteen to thirty years of age, are often preferred, older or younger women less often. For those who prefer younger women and girls, the idea that a young, healthy girl starts smoking at an early age and then becomes hopelessly addicted is often arousing.

• Dependency of the smoker - some smoking fetishists are attracted to people who openly show their addiction to smoking or, in contrast, try to hide it. However, many fetishists who profess the light side do not pay much attention to this aspect or even feel repulsed by addiction. The situation is different with regard to the shadow side , where the relationship seems to be roughly the opposite. Accordingly, heavy consumption is an aspect that is particularly widespread on the dark side .

• Smoking technique - this denotes a preference for a certain type of smoking. Techniques are usually preferred in which the smoke is clearly visible to the observer before it is inhaled by the person who smokes. There is a wide range of different techniques that have names such as "Snap Inhale", "French Inhale", "Open Mouth Inhale", "Double Pump" etc.

• Type, brand and consistency of the smoking utensil - cigarettes are mostly preferred, but there are also fetishists who are fixated on cigarillos or pipes. Longer smoking utensils or brands (e.g. Marlboro 100s or Eve 120s) are preferred by many smoking fetishists , probably because of their underlying feminine associations . They often share a preference for certain brands of cigarettes such as Marlboro , Newports, Vouge, Eve, or Davidoff; it is assumed that the social character of those affected by the image of this brand plays a role, in particular due to the smoking fetishist's subjective experiences with the respective brand. Cigarette holders ("holders") were often shown in older films because of their glamorous impression and seem to be welcomed by many fetishists; however, it is less common to find direct imprinting on precisely this aspect. On the “dark side”, cigars, cigarettes that are considered particularly strong, and cigarettes without filters are also preferred.

Possible influence of the tobacco industry

Several researchers looked at the prevalence and influence of smoking fetishism posts on social media platforms. The authors of the videos could not be clarified beyond doubt; In view of the history of advertising in the tobacco industry, however, the researchers consider it possible that some of them will be disseminated as surreptitious advertising for smoking. They are calling for stricter age regulations for content of this kind. However, a detailed analysis is still pending. From the subjective perspective of the smoking fetishists, the vast majority of the above. Contributions created and published by professional, semi-professional or amateur producers of smoking fetish material. Although participation by the tobacco industry appears possible, there is currently no solid evidence of this.

Scientific study of smoking fetishism

The smoking fetishism has so far only been studied to a very limited extent by scientists. Many aspects of this article are based on collected experience reports from those affected, unless scientific sources are explicitly mentioned. This should be kept in mind while reading this article.

literature

• Klaus Podak: Smoking is sexy - swan song for a piece of life culture. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung . March 17, 2006.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Symptoms of Capnolagnia . Retrieved April 22, 2010.
2. ↑ treatments for Capnolagnia . Retrieved April 22, 2010.
3. ^ ^{A b} Joseph W. Bean: Leathersex: A Guide for the Curious Outsider & the Serious Player . Daedalus Publishing, 1996, ISBN 1-881943-05-4 , pp. 100-102: Cigars and Cigarettes.
4. ↑ Smoking Fetish Star . Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved October 10, 2013. 
5. ↑ Suein Hwang: Drag Queens: Paula Puffs and Her Fans Watch, Enraptured . In: Wall Street Journal , Jan 31, 1996, p. A1. 
6. ↑ James J. Pancrazio: The Logic of Fetishism: Alejo Carpentier and the Cuban Tradition. Bucknell University Press, 2004, ISBN 0-8387-5582-8 , pp. 97-102.
7. ↑ Violet Blue: The Ultimate Guide to Sexual Fantasy: How to Turn Your Fantasies Into Reality. Cleis Press, 2004, ISBN 1-57344-190-2 , p. 160.
8. ^ B. Freeman, S. Chapman: Is “YouTube” telling or selling you something? Tobacco content on the YouTube video-sharing website. In: Tob Control 2007; 16 (3), pp. 207-210. doi: 10.1136 / tc.2007.020024 PMID 17565142
9. ^ L. Elkin, G. Thomson, N. Wilson: Connecting world youth with tobacco brands: YouTube and the internet policy vacuum on Web 2.0. ( Memento of the original from February 19, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The  archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Tob Control. 2010 Oct; 19 (5), pp. 361-366. doi: 10.1136 / tc.2010.035949 PMID 20739706