Despite anti-smoking efforts, Gen Z has embraced cigarettes as a symbol of rebellion

Smoking in shows and movies has a normalizing effect that anti-smoking crusaders have been desperate to eliminate.

For many Gen Z observers, the interest in smoking appears to be driven less by addiction than by aesthetics, nostalgia, or even as a form of protest after decades of cigarette demonization.

Public health experts are afraid smoking could make a real comeback because it is still addictive.