Abstract:

Analyzing the issue of urban women’s smoking from the perspective of life politics may shed light on the image construction of smoking women in the specific consumer culture context and the essence of their consumer identity. The mass media attempt to frame urban women smoking as “fashionable” or “sexy”, empirical data of Shanghai interviews and observations show that in the daily practice women smoke for leisure and recreation, and alleviating work anxiety or life pressure. Urban female smokers have to seek subtle balance between personal preferences and the legal, policy environment, between public expectations and the stigmatized atmosphere, eventually leading them to be thoughtful and cautious consumer citizens.

Key words: cigarettes, urban women, life politics, consumer identity