‘Fight back’: The new anti-smoking campaign in Birmingham (UK)

Smokers in Birmingham are being targeted by a (quite literally) hard-hitting campaign challenging them to fight back and stop smoking. The shocking video (below, directed by the famous photographer Rankin and his colleague Chris Cottam) shows a smoker being beaten up by an invisible assailant in order to highlight the similar damage that a smoker is inflicting on his/her body. The final message is simple: ‘Smoke and your body takes a beating. Fight back. Quit now.’

Warning: Graphic Content



It’s good to see a campaign that highlights the harmful effects of smoking on our health in such an unflinching and brutal way. Although I’m not a smoker, I shudder to think about the internal damage that I am doing to myself on a daily basis through lack of exercise, bad diet etc and all the other 21st century vices. A few weeks ago I broke my arm (in case you hadn’t noticed…!) and I could visibly see the actual injuries that I had suffered, but maybe the internal damage happening inside our bodies, particularly to smokers, is much more severe. Unless the damage is as evident and graphic as a few bendy fingers or a bleeding arm, we try not to think about it. But that doesn’t mean that the effects are any less serious…

I’m a non-smoker simply because I could never see the appeal of smoking. When growing up, many of the smokers that I knew were old, wrinkly waaay before their time, smelt pretty bad and had yellow fingers, black teeth and the shakes. It wasn’t really the look that I was going for. Plus, while I appreciate that addicts say that smoking is enjoyable, I have a penchant for cream cakes and if the health authorities told me that eating them would kill me then I’m pretty sure that I would stop straight away! I realise that there is the whole ‘addiction’ issue when trying to give up, but surely it’s only a matter of tipping the ‘addiction vs effort’ ratio in your favour.... right? In many ways the very act of smoking is, as Rankin suggests by challenging the viewer to ‘fight back’, like willingly engaging in a fight. Not only will you get injured severely, but only YOU can save yourself. Your success rate at quitting depends on how willing you are to fight for your own life…

Now I'm a 'live and let die' kind of woman in many respects and I’m a fine one to talk when it comes to perfect health, but sticking your fingers in your ears and humming loudly when it comes to maintaining good health is only going to attract the Grim Reaper’s attention much sooner than he intended. (And a word to the shallowest, most resilient smokers among you - even if you have zero concerns about the damage that smoking does to your health, please understand this. Smoking is N.O.T.S.E.X.Y. It just makes you look old and smelly. You may as well stop washing, paint your teeth brown – if they’re not already - and invest in a warm cardigan and pair of comfy slippers…)