Christmas and holiday movies bring to mind classic winter imagery – snow falling, mugs of hot cocoa steaming, reindeer prancing and flying through the sky, joy on children’s faces over presents and the magic of Santa, sledding and skiing, the glow of Christmas lights, and tobacco?

Tobacco littered the screen in both the 76th Emmy Awards ceremony and Emmy award-winning shows at this year’s 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. The Emmy’s, hosted on Peacock this year, acknowledge artistic and technical achievements in the television industry.

From the red carpet to our televisions, we celebrate the glamourous fashion, artists and filmmakers that come together for the biggest award ceremony of the year, The Academy Awards!

The fight against tobacco imagery in media has remained an uphill battle. However, the playing field is beginning to level. The Master Settlement Agreement kick started efforts to protect youth from being targeted subjects of tobacco advertising and eliminate branding advertisements in media.

We’re very familiar, especially here at Breathe California Sacramento Region, with the dangers of smoking cigarettes. We know that cigarettes can cause disability, disease, and death, so much so, that 110 Californian’s die every day at the hands of the tobacco industry.

In the world of social media and celebrity culture, fans often follow their favorite stars as they navigate personal challenges, life changes, accomplishments, and struggles. One star who is known for sharing their life with fans online is Grammy winning rapper Doja Cat, who has gained popularity after two of her songs became viral TikTok sounds in 2020.

Are you between 14-24 and enjoy watching movies? Know someone who does? Then keep reading! Our Smoke-Free Screens program is recruiting new volunteers to review movies for tobacco content.

Truth Initiative’s fifth annual “While You Were Streaming” report analyzes tobacco imagery in popular entertainment and provides shocking statistics exposing how tobacco takes the spotlight across a myriad of platforms. We at Breathe California play a special role in this study as our youth provide the raw data for this report.

And the Oscar goes to…Tobacco. Unfortunately, tobacco imagery continues to dominate the films nominated for the Academy Awards. Under the direction of our partner Truth Initiative, Breathe’s Smoke-free Screens youth coded 39 Oscar-nominated films.

The National Conference on Tobacco or Health (NCTOH) is one of the largest, long-standing gatherings for top United States tobacco control professionals. The conference attracts a diverse group of public health professionals, researchers, and anyone interested in examining the latest evidence on best practices in tobacco control and how to apply current research findings to tobacco control policy, advocacy, and programs.

Since 2002, Breathe’s Thumbs Up! Thumbs Down! (TUTD) project has collaborated with the Truth Initiative and partners from the University of Chicago, NORC and predecessors from University of California, San Francisco. Breathe staff and youth partners collect data on the depiction of tobacco products in top grossing movies as well as the most popular television and streaming shows on platforms such as Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu.

On March 15th and 17th, ten Breathe Youth Advisory Board and Rio Americano Public Health Club students participated in the 2021 Youth Quest event. This is an annual youth event organized by the California Youth Advocacy Network and this year’s theme was “Times Change. Issues Remain. Tobacco Gains.”

Since the COVID-19 pandemic has placed many of us in social isolation, it has left some of us looking for comfort and safety in front of our favorite TV shows. For some, streaming and binge-watching movies and TV has become a necessary lifeline during stressful times. Films and TV shows are being released earlier due to public demand for streaming content.