On September 8, 2017 I, Tonya premiered at the Toronto
Film Festival. The film tells the story of Tonya Harding, the
American figure skater whose career ended in controversy
when she was implicated in an attack on rival Nancy Kerrigan
at the 1994 Winter Olympics.
The film attracted universal acclaim and lead actor Margot
Robbie received numerous accolades and nominations for her
performance. However, it was the performance of supporting
actor Alison Janey that drew the most praise.
By the end of the awards season, Janey had received, among
other gongs, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a
Screen Actors Guild Award and a BAFTA.
Janey played Harding’s hard-nosed, chain-smoking mother,
LaVona Golden. Rolling Stone writer David Fear was so
enamoured by Janey’s smoking that he included it in the
magazine’s list of 25 Reasons to Love the Movies in 2017.
Fear wrote: “Has anyone smoked this viciously and vicariously
on screen since Bette Davis in Now, Voyager? The way she
wields her ever-present cigarette like a weapon almost tips
the film into camp – but it also serves as a great way of letting
know who this character is and how she views the world.”
Incidents of tobacco use in top-grossing films have decreased
significantly over the past few decades. However, a 2017
study by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (the
CDC) found that the decline did not progress between the
years 2010 and 2016.
While tobacco use on film has plateaued, some campaign
groups have expressed their fears that smoking on television
may be increasing, particularly on digital streaming platforms
such as Netflix.
A report published last year by US non-profit tobacco control
organisation Truth Initiative showed that that 79 percent of
the shows most popular among the 15-24 age group featured
smoking prominently.
Critically-acclaimed Stranger Things was the worst offender,
followed by Orange is the New Black and House of Cards.
Robin Koval, CEO and president of Truth Initiative, said: “There
has been a revolution in television that now encompasses a
complex universe including Hulu, Netflix and an emerging
world of on-demand platforms. And while everybody was
watching, but no one was paying attention, we’ve experienced
a pervasive re-emergence of smoking imagery that is
glamorising and renormalising a deadly habit to millions of
impressionable young people. It has to stop.”
The impact of exposing young minds to tobacco images on-
screen is well known.
A 2009 study by the Association for Psychological Science