An English media outlet has drawn attention to the portrayal of smoking in HBO’s “The Idol”, which stars BLACKPINK Jennie.
On June 16th, an article titled “Cool, sexy and stinking of smoke: why are TV dramas giving cigarettes a comeback?” was published on the media outlet “The Guardian”. Here, BLACKPINK Jennie’s debut drama, “The Idol”, was mentioned in a critical light.
In this article, The Guardian mentioned female models and actresses from the 2000s, such as Kate Moss, Alexa Chung, and Sarah Jessica Parker, who portrayed smoking as stylish in mainstream media at the time. It then went on to explain that smoking is no longer perceived in the same way by the health-conscious current generation.
However, the controversial HBO drama, “The Idol”, which starred BLACKPINK Jennie, has made cigarettes a kind of “co-star.” In particular, the protagonist Jocelyn, portrayed by-Lily Rose Depp, smoked three cigarettes while wearing a red satin robe for the first five minutes. She is depicted as cool and sexy, even crushing a cigarette pack.
In the Netflix series “Russian Dolls”, Natasha Lyonne smokes throughout the series “as if her life depended on it”, while Sarah Jessica Parker continues to display her love for smoking in the upcoming sequel “And Just Like That” from the “Sex and the City” franchise.
Adding to this, despite Netflix promising to reduce on-screen cigarette usage, both “The Queen’s Gambit” and “The Umbrella Academy”, which were streamed by millions, featured cigarettes in every episode.
To make matters worse, The Guardian also pointed out that out of the 39 films nominated for this year’s Academy Awards (also known as The Oscars), cigarettes appeared in 28 of them in some way.
The same article also mentioned that teenagers who got exposed to smoking through movies and other media are 2-3 times more likely to start smoking themselves, and although this danger is widely known, it seems that creators are not paying enough attention to it.
“In the US, where ;The Idol’ was filmed and released, federal law prohibits tobacco advertising through television, and restricts magazine and billboard advertising”, The Guardian wrote, adding, “That said, the law doesn’t prohibit more insidious influencing, whereby smoking might appear desirable or chic. It’s also worth pointing out that the smoking ban doesn’t apply to actors on set.”
Previously, “The Idol” also faced controversy for objectifying Jennie alongside other female cast members, as well as for catering to a male-centered sexual fantasy.
According to Variety, a U.S. entertainment media outlet, the series was filled with revenge pornographic photos, explicit acts with ice, scammers in nightclubs, and wicked Hollywood flatterers. Rolling Stone also criticized the series, stating that it was more harmful and worse than rumors had suggested.
However, in an interview with GQ, pop star The Weeknd, who produced and starred in “The Idol”, expressed satisfaction with the ongoing controversy.
“I’m loving it. It’s definitely shaken up the culture for sure. We knew we were making something dark and controversial but true to what we want to say”, he laughed and said.
Source: The Guardian, GQ, Seoul News
