A mulher e o cigarro: representações de feminilidade nos anos 1920

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the smoking habit among women at the begin-ning of the 20th century, especially between 1910 and 1920, as a privileged way of con-templating different forms of building femininity. From a Cultural History perspective, the observation of cigarette usage by women might unveil relevant aspects of women’s trans-formational process inside the society, shedding light on the balance between traditional moral codes and the desire of freedom and gender equality. In the accelerated era of met-ropolitan life, the spread of habits until then socially condemned rouses a reflection upon the construction of the ‘modern women’ archetype and its social role amid consumerism, industrialization, and mass media growth.