Vegas Blue: The Cigar ‘Aficionada’

by John Robert Taylor

Saturday, March 6, 2010

A young woman takes time to enjoy a smoke
iStockphoto.com/Chao Ying Zhao

Believe it or not, there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to Las Vegas. The larger-than-life casinos and sea of neon leads to a common misconception that this community just “puts it all out there.” What many don’t know about is the quietly growing community of cigar smokers modern in style, smoking techniques, and overall way of life yet true to “old world” traditions of tobacco leaf consumption. This “old world” includes a variety of cigar smoking personalities.

Throughout the 20th century, American societal beliefs and cultural codes led many to assign condescending stigmas on female cigar and pipe smokers. Lady smokers have been around maybe even prior to the beginning of the recorded history of tobacco. Fellow enthusiasts, well versed in cigar history, claim this kind cross gender behavior is a rare occurrence in the Central and South American countries.

Some readers might find this photo sexy. What do you think?
iStockphoto.com/Hande Sengun

Until the late 1960’s, most Americans considered cigar smoking to be a “males only” leisure activity. In the 1980’s the concept of a female holding a cigar gained sex appeal due to an implied back-story that she was flirtatiously taking a puff of the cigar of her male counterpart. Few considered the notion that a female with a cigar may have it because it belongs to her and she enjoys smoking it. In the mid 1990’s the cigar “aficionada” emerged in full force. Famous female cigar smokers were revealed. One of the more well-known “aficionadas” was Canadian Super Model Linda Evangelista. In 1995 she became the first ever female to grace the cover of Cigar Aficionado magazine. The following year, another cigar smoker, Demi Moore, was featured on the magazine’s cover. The silver screen beauty then starred in G.I. Jane, which hit the theaters a year later. Fans will remember a popular scene in that movie when she returned home in the middle of tortuous training in the Navy Seal BUDS program. The first thing she did after nursing a few wounds was smoke a cigar. Also in the mid 1990s, Rhona Kasper’s guide “To becoming the ultimate Cigar Aficionada” hit the bookshelves.

Unlike most cities, female cigar smokers aren’t uncommon in Las Vegas cigar lounges. As I said earlier, their emergence is exciting. Here’s why:

1. One of the cool things about cigar smoking is interactions. It’s very interesting to hear how different palates interpret the same tobacco. The reasoning behind different preferences is appealing as well.

2. The cigar subculture needs more variety. When I first began smoking cigars in the late 1990s, I would see different versions of the same middle class middle-aged male in cigar lounges talking about the same things. To see an assortment of individuals is refreshing.

3. Couples can enjoy the occasional smoke together. Free from the societal beliefs and cultural codes I mentioned above, a wife, fiancée, girlfriend, mother, sister, or platonic friend no longer has to feel bored waiting for you to finish your smoke. And more women are now walking into a tobacconist and feeling no shame about trying a cigar.

4. Every “walk of life” has something to contribute and what women have brought and will continue to bring to the cigar-smoking world is quite fascinating.

Now it’s your turn to share your opinions about this growing cultural phenomenon!

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