History Main / SmokingIsNotCool

* PlayedForLaughs, of a very BlackComedy kind, in ''Series/ChewinTheFat''. A whole family of smokers have had to get themselves fitted with electronic voice boxes because of their throat cancer. [[UpToEleven Their postman also has a voice box]]!

** In ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'', Nero dislikes Nico's smoking habit, though he'll light a cigarette for her. V shows he dislikes it too by fanning away the smoke. The game also has a message in the intro stating that the game does not promote smoking.

* Probably the only unattractive thing about [[EvilIsSexy Dr. Girlfriend]] on ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' is her masculine, gravely voice. After a few seasons (and [[AmbiguousGender a lot of bad jokes]]) it was revealed to be the result of chain smoking.

** Leon Kennedy takes measures to follow this. In ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'', he turns down a smoke when offered, and, as shown in the page quote, offers Luis Sera gum when he asks for a smoke.

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* Dante was explicitly designed with this in mind, WordOfGod declaring that he's "too cool to smoke." His ContinuityReboot counterpart in ''VideoGame/DMCDevilMayCry'' was initially shown smoking in the first trailer, but again, Word of God states that he ''did'' smoke before, but has kicked the habit.

* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'': Solid Snake and Naked Snake/Big Boss will inevitably get [[WhatTheHellHero criticized]] by at least one member of their supporting teams for their smoking habit. Averted in ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker Peace Walker]]'', where just about every member of Big Boss' [=MSF=] smokes or otherwise uses tobacco.
** Most of the series relies on DoNotDoThisCoolThing to get this trope across, but ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots MGS4]]'' plays this painfully straight as Old Snake keeps losing his cigarettes or getting them confiscated and, at one point, is coughing away with a oxygen mask and ''still'' asks for a smoke. It's a powerful moment when he decides to give it up after learning he no longer has to fight.
* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'': Leon Kennedy takes measures to follow this. In ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'', he turns down a smoke when offered, and, as shown in the page quote, offers Luis Sera gum when he asks for a smoke.
** Zigzagged with Chris; he smokes in the uncut intro of the first game, no mention is made of it for years afterwards, but circumstance leads to him chain smoking in 6. Piers is quick to call him out on it.

* In ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'', ComicBook/ThePenguin has had to attach a voice box to his neck because of all that smoking he does.

* Dante of ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' was explicitly designed with this in mind, WordOfGod declaring that he's "too cool to smoke." His ContinuityReboot counterpart in ''VideoGame/DmCDevilMayCry'' was initially shown smoking in the first trailer, but again, Word of God states that he ''did'' smoke before, but has kicked the habit.
** In ''Videogame/DevilMayCry5'', Nero dislikes Nico's smoking habit, though he'll light a cigarette for her. V shows he dislikes it too by fanning away the smoke. The game also has a message in the intro stating that the game does not promote smoking.

** Patty and Selma, who're already very ugly and downright unpleasant company, smoke heavily. In fact, a {{flashback}} in one episode suggested they [[UsedToBeASweetKid used to be nicer and their voices were far more feminine]] until they took up smoking.

* Dutch film director and assassination victim Theo Van Gogh was also an obese chain smoker who liked to shock and offend people for the sake of doing so.

* ''Manga/DearBrother'': Rei Asaka AKA "Hana no Saint-Juste". She does smoke on a regular basis, but her smoking is ''not'' portrayed as cool, as it is a sign of her BrokenBird personality and her self-destructive behaviour to show how ''really'' messed up she is.

* ComicBook/{{FiftyTwo}} shows us the ramifications of [[ComicBook/TheQuestion Vic Sage's]] smoking habit. The lung cancer he had contracted killed him off, allowing Renee Montoya to take over his title.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Pinocchio}}'': Lampwick, who is already being portrayed as a cocksure idiot, taunts Pinocchio for not smoking properly. In an example of SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped and ScareEmStraight, he then literally transforms into a donkey. Pinocchio [[NoMoreForMe immediately throws his cigar away]].

Not necessarily. Plenty of characters are perfectly capable of being tough or cool without lighting up. In fact, to emphasize this point even further, characters will be made more unlikeable or unattractive by having them smoke. This can happen by having them taunt a non-smoker into lighting up, because otherwise he's a "wimp." Or by blowing SecondFaceSmoke in his face. Or just by having an ugly, obese, badly dressed, lazy, or otherwise degrading character light up a cigarette or a cigar. Or just out and out try to ScareEmStraight, by having the smoker display all the negative symptoms of life-long smoking: respiratory problems, bad skin, yellowing teeth, and maybe even cancer, even if the person in question couldn't realistically have been a smoker for long enough for these problems to occur.

Not necessarily. Plenty of characters are perfectly capable of being tough or cool without lighting up. In fact, to emphasize this point even further, characters will be made more unlikeable or unattractive by having them smoke. This can happen by them taunting the non-smoker into lighting up, because otherwise he's a "wimp". Or by blowing SecondFaceSmoke in his face. Or just by having an ugly, obese, badly dressed, lazy or otherwise degrading character light up a cigarette or a cigar. Or just out and out try to ScareEmStraight, by having the smoker display all the negative symptoms of life-long smoking; respiratory problems, bad skin, yellowing teeth, and maybe even cancer, even if the person in question couldn't realistically have been a smoker for long enough for these problems to occur.

TruthInTelevision since tobacco smoke really smells repulsive when you're a non-smoker. Also, smoke coming out of someone's mouth can really account as a GrossUpCloseUp when you really look at it. And, more seriously, exposure to secondhand smoke can be seriously detrimental to infants, children, and anyone with even a slightly dodgy respiratory system (e.g. asthmatics).

* ''Series/TheNoddyShop'': In the GrandFinale "Closing Up Shop", some of the characters convince Seymour Polutski [[spoiler: not to buy out NODDY's]] by telling him that smoking is bad.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Pinocchio}}'': Lampwick, who is already being portrayed as a cocksure idiot, taunts Pinocchio for not smoking properly. In an example of SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped and ScareEmStraight, he then literally transforms into a donkey. Pinocchio immediately throws his cigar away.

[[quoteright:259:[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/selma_8463.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:259: [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E13SelmasChoice "Ugh! Back to the Loch with you, Nessie!"]]]]

* PlayedForLaughs in ''Series/ChewinTheFat''. A whole family of smokers have had to get themselves fitted with electronic voice boxes because of their throat cancer. [[UpToEleven Their postman also has a voice box]]!

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Bravestarr}}'' rams this message down your throat. Tex Hex had a toadying lickspittle named Scuzz, a who smokes cigars, and is always coughing and hacking up a storm. Even the other villains despise him.