Smoking has become a taboo in the entertainment industry – a major shift from what was once a tobacco-loving Hollywood with celebrities carelessly smoking their lungs away in live television.
In fact, Bruno Mars and V from BTS were recently met with harsh criticism by the media after they were caught smoking during the Grammys.
The hostility seems to be twice as worse when it comes to female artists, though, as they tend to have a larger following made up of young, impressionable kids.
That is why there’s not a lot of women in the industry who are openly smokers. But if there happens to be a list of that, Lana Del Rey is definitely taking the first spot. In fact, she seems to have no problems being candid about her addiction to smoking.
But is this still the case now? Or has she succeeded in quitting? To find out, let’s take a look at Lana Del Rey’s history of smoking and the (many) steps she has taken to finally put an end to it.
Lana Del Rey Is A Chainsmoker
If you’re an OG fan of Lana, you know that the Summertime Sadness smoked a lot during the early years of her career. She’d have a microphone on one hand and a cigarette stick on the other during her shows.
Lana’s addiction to smoking has gotten to the point where almost every stolen picture of her shows her either smoking or holding a cigarette stick.
Perhaps that’s one of the many things people don’t like about Lana. She’s been recently labeled as “problematic” for having the following controversies:
- Accused of ‘glamorizing abuse’ after she shared a picture of her being choked by a heavily-inked arm as an artwork for her song Blue Jeans
- Slammed for ‘cultural appropriation’ when she wore a Native American headdress for a music video
- Acted in a never-released Marilyn Manson horror film which featured her in a r*pe scene
- Lashed out on successful female musicians (such as Ariana Grande, Beyonce, and Doja Cat) during a promotion for her new album
Meanwhile, Lana has also openly talked about her chain smoking habit in several interviews. When asked if she has any guilty pleasures, Lana quipped:
“Well, smoking is one of them. Sugar, coffee. I must have 13 cups a day. It’s a shame about the health consequences because a lot of great things happen over coffee and a cigarette. A lot of great songs were written.”
If Lana does smoke for the sake of maximizing the songwriting benefits it brings, then she’s no different from all the other artists who rely on psychedelics and drugs to bring out their creativity. Although, we’re not sure which one’s healthier and better.
In the same interview, Lana Del Rey also admitted that she has been smoking ever since she was 17 years old. But why?
Why Does Lana Del Rey Smoke?
When you’ve got an extremely busy life, sometimes you have to have something as a means of escape – a relief from the crazy world out there. This differs from artist to artist, but for Lana Del Rey, it’s her cigarettes.
It’s not unheard of for people to use smoking as a stress-reliever. That’s why some businesses offer smoke breaks to their employees instead of coffee breaks. Lana explained why this may be the case in her own experience:
“It’s crazy. That’s why I try to play mostly outdoor festivals because 45 minutes into the set, when you’ve still got 45 more minutes to go, you need to smoke. It’s a long time. If people come and see you at a show for 80 minutes, they literally know everything about you. With 5,000 coming, they film you so the people in the back can see you on the screens. There isn’t a moment when you can turn around and gather yourself. Everything you feel, everything you’re emoting, is just there. I have toured so much more than I thought I would; I thought I would be more of a studio singer, but I toured Europe for two years.”
Has Lana Del Rey Quit Smoking?
With Lana officially out of social media and with no shows scheduled, Lana has become increasingly less accessible and present. This makes it extremely hard for her fans (and maybe even haters) to monitor whether or not she’s still smoking.
So far, Lana has not explicitly confirmed nor denied that she has stopped smoking. But according to her fans, it seems that the singer is slowly cutting ties with cigarettes.
Before the eventual deactivation of her Instagram account, Lana has been sharing photos of her vaping. Many people with smoking addiction use vaping as a way to slowly start quitting nicotine consumption.
It’s highly likely that Lana is doing the same thing as well. Another proof that fans have is her weight gain. Experts say that nicotine withdrawal on the body causes slower metabolism and increased hunger.
Sadly, until we get an actual confirmation from Lana that she has, in fact, stopped smoking, all these remain mere speculations. Still, we do wish her all the best. It’s not easy to stop doing something you’ve done for over 20 years. You have our support, Lana!
