Frankie and Slim

Frankie and Slim
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Thursday, October 06, 2022

DID YOU KNOW...

 DID YOU KNOW...

 

Women Were Once Banned from Smoking in Public

 


In 1908, New Yorker Katie Mulcahey was arrested for striking a match against a wall and lighting a cigarette with it. Why? Because this was a violation of The Sullivan Ordinance, a city law banning women (and only women!) from smoking in public. During her hearing at the district court, Mulcahey argued about her rights to smoke cigarettes in public. She was fined $5.00. Two weeks later, The Sullivan Ordinance was vetoed by New York City's mayor.

 

28 comments:

  1. THis one wasn't so much of a surprise.

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    1. No kidding. The only attention they could pay to women was smoking rules without the right to vote!!

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  2. There were lots of rules for women that didn't apply to men. I'm glad that's over.

    Have a fabulous day. ♥

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    1. And that was because men were making the rules.

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  3. Though it was totally sexist, I almost wish it had stayed around during my time instead of making smoking glamorous. Had they done that, I would breathe easier today.

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  4. What was Right in one time and age will become absurd in another time and age...that's what History teaches us!

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  5. Gosh I didn't know that. Well if men can smoke I guess women should be allowed too - but it would be nice if no one smoked.

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    1. I think pretty soon there's not gonna be many smokers.

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  6. Sigh. I didn't know but am not surprised. Control of women continues to this day. Which saddens and enrages me.

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  7. It seems there are lots of things "Nice Girls" don't do in public. Whistling used to be another one.

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    1. Once it was OK for women to smoke then it became wrong for them to walk with a cigarette in their hand.

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  8. It seems to take forever for those with vaginas to not be second class citizens around the globe.

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    1. Do you think it will ever completely change?

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  9. I knew it was frowned upon but didn't know it was actually banned. In that case I think men should have been banned too. I'm glad these days more people are shunning smoking altogether.

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    1. I smoked my last cigarette on November 6, 2003 just before my first and most massive heart attack. Before that it was a difficult habit to break. Four days on morphine helped.

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  10. Even in the very early 60's women smoking on the streets was frowned upon-- at least in SF.

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    1. My sister went to college first and taught me all the ins and outs of women's smoking etiquette. I don't think there were any rules for men.

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  11. If we are not careful those days will be back.

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    1. In many ways they never left. We can fool ourselves to say we've come a long way.

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  12. Those days are almost back. I used to be a smoker, but I gave up a few years ago. I never, would never, smoke while walking out in the public arena. It never was a good look, particularly for a woman to be seen smoking while walking along the street...in my opinion, anyway.

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    1. The rules for women smoking made it very attractive for young gals such as myself at age 15 to pick up the glamour.

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  13. It feels like women's rights are being taken away more and more again. And it's sad that there are women who are allowing it.

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    1. And we are our own worst enemies.

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  14. Some of those laws, both written and unwritten, were quite perplexing to read about.

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    1. Those unwritten laws are the ones that made others glare at us if we got sloppy in our use of cigarettes.

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