Love, Wealth, and Swagger: How Cigarette Companies Used Visual Rhetoric to Target Black Americans

Abstract

Tobacco has been a public health concern for decades. In fact, it is the number one cause of preventable deaths in the United States (Wilkinson 1). Specifically, targeted tobacco advertisements have been a prominent issue, especially in the recent case of vapor nicotine products targeted towards adolescents. However, tobacco advertisements have been targeting specific demographics for decades. Tobacco companies have long targeted Black Americans with advertisements, retail discounts, and cultural cues, especially with mentholated cigarettes (Limbong 1). The disproportionate rate of menthol cigarette consumption among Black Americans has been researched in terms of the health risks, finding many health disparities associated with menthol cigarettes.