You Must Know These Shisha Facts Especially if you’re A Woman

Cigarettes have somehow managed to attract and keep men busy with them for a long time. However, women just like their nature, are more inclined towards modern ways of consuming tobacco such as Shisha, also known as hookah or water pipe rapidly increasing the demand and consumption of shisha among women.

The article aims to shed light on some amazing yet unknown facts about women consuming shisha around the world which might benefit you (if you’re a woman) and if not it can help you increase your knowledge about shisha and its consumption in women to show off in a next shisha party.

Shisha Has An Especial History with Women

Initially, only women (in India/Persia) were into hookah smoking due to the lengthy preparation process and long hookah sessions however the case was different from European countries.

In 1908 a woman in New York was arrested for smoking in public not because it was unhealthy but because society was against the idea of women smoking in public or privately. However, in the 1990s shisha got commercialized and it is as legal for women to consume shisha as for men.

To date, in most Arab countries it is okay for men to smoke shisha or cigarettes but if a woman does the same it is considered shameful.

Reasons Why Women Prefer Shisha Over Cigarettes

• 75% of teenagers reported that their first shisha session was with their age fellows.
• According to the majority of the young girls’ peer pressure, feeling of liberty, and glamorous TV advertisements of women in shisha cafes or smoking shisha became the reason for attraction towards shisha for the first time.
• Women justify shisha smoking as a relief of depression and stress along with pleasure.
• One of the reasons why women are more into shisha smoking is because most women find it difficult to seek help to quit because of the fear of being judged by society.

So, these are the reasons why women enjoy smoking shisha and not cigarettes. Apart from this, the best thing every woman will agree about shisha is that it does not stain your teeth or leave you a bad smell. However, with cigarettes stained teeth and tooth decay are some of the most common oral health issues. Every cigarette smoker has a bad breath problem. That is why most smokers carry mint with them to kill the smell. As you know women are not so easily amused and with a Shisha their cravings are rightfully fulfilled. Unlike cigarettes, a shisha session lasts for about 30-90 minutes giving women more time to enjoy, think, and gossip together.

So, this long lasting, light on the body habit is the best thing for a woman to indulge in. Moreover, as you know there are different flavors in shisha among which Mixed Fruit, Mint, Raspberry Grape, Cinnamon Gum, Apple Mix, and Double Apple are most popular around the world, this is also something that amuses most women. They like diversity and multiple options.

Common Health Problems in Women Due to Shisha

One of the reasons why women are especially recommended to balance their shisha sessions is because women can develop 2 times double the number of diseases than men due to the substance shisha contains. Apart from this, there are several pother health issues that arrive with an over consumption of Shisha.

• Shisha smoking among women can cause preterm menstrual pause, reduced bone mineral density, infertility, and ectopic pregnancy
• Shisha smoking is associated with a higher rate of infant mortality and can lead to intrauterine growth restriction and the risk of certain chromosomal anomalies.
• Women consuming shisha during pregnancy have high chances of miscarriage.Smoking shisha during pregnancy can develop respiratory problems in the baby after birth
• According to ACOD, women who smoke 2 or 3 days before their period date can experience severe menstrual crampswith a 50 chance of cramps lasting for 2 or more days.
• Women who smoke shisha extensively are at two times greater risk of developing cancer than men.
• According to a few researchers, it is more difficult for women to quit shisha than men.
• Beauty is an important asset for women and healthy skin is what you can call true beauty. If a woman does not balance her shisha sessions (meaning once or twice a weak) she might damage her beauty by damaging her skin.
• Tobacco can slower the process of oxygen circulation in the skin which can reduce the glow and glamor increasing the wrinkles and spots on the skin.

Don’t Fred out, there’s always an alternative for everything in this world. Recently herbal shishas have been introduced, which are equally popular among men and women who tend to avoid tobacco and nicotine. To maintain the essence of the shisha, different companies working on herbal shisha have introduced various flavors in shisha. The Herbal Shisha has a lesser amount of nicotine present in it along with natural ingredients. The ingredients could be fruits or herbs to add more essence and taste in the flavor. These are medically proven to be light shisha and are far safer than the pure tobacco one.

The Shisha Consumption by Women in America

After American tobacco producing companies realized that they were not making a good profit due to zero female buyers they started a campaign in 1928 to commercialize and encourage women to smoke through TV commercials and billboards. Furthermore, the most infamous campaign aimed at getting women to smoke was that of Sigmund Freud’s nephew, Edward Bernays.

Not only this, Bernays known as a father of Public relations was the first to use feminism smartly in favor of smoking by establishing a relation between smoking and women empowerment. At a parade in 1929, Bernays hired a group of young women who lit the cigarettes as a gesture of protest against women’s inequality. That’s how Shisha was introduced to engage and attract women. Shisha is comparatively lighter than cigarettes and it has light impact on internal organs. Women prefer shisha for its lightness.

Current Status of Shisha Loving Women around the Globe

• Hookah smoking rates are reported to be 7% among Jordanian women 4% among Lebanese women 4% among Pakistani women.
• Overall hookah consumption is most high in Iran due to social acceptance, low-cost hookah material, and easy access to fruitful hookahs
• One study reported the prevalence of hookah smoking among women in the province of Sistan to be 16.8%, in Bushehr to be 14.8%, and in Hormozgan to be 10.3% indicating that Iranian women are more into hookah smoking than man.

Conclusion

Shisha is rapidly gaining popularity around the world, especially among young women because of women-oriented marketing campaigns. The people in the tobacco business are taking serious advantage of the new feminist wave to increase their business profits by featuring slim, attractive, independent, and confident women in their ad campaigns, making shisha/cigarette smoking a symbol of women who deserves equality which is giving a wrong twist to feminism as well as shisha.

Shisha is a substance of pleasure and fun. It must be enjoyed and celebrated only as a portion of food in parties and ceremonies not as a symbol to prove what women deserve.