A Vintage Crystal Cigarette Lighter & How Women Were Sold a Load of BS

How a sparkly tool and a sleek brand tried to sell women “liberation”, one puff at a time.

My vintage crystal cigarette lighter is a reminder of a time when glamour ruled and smoking was a universal ritual. The sparklingly-cut crystal, highly-polished metal and somehow-implied drama of my vintage lighter tells me it wasn’t at all about utility. 

This was a prop for the modern mid-century woman who, just like the Virginia Slims’ slogan told her, had "come a long way, baby." 

Indeed.

While my lighter has long since been retired, its history is still worth a quick smoke break. Let’s talk about Virginia Slims, women’s liberation (or some commodified version of it) and why lighting a cigarette could feel like an act of rebellion or the world’s most glamorous photo op.

Virginia Slims: Marketing Liberation

This ad is an absolute gem, from the photo at top left talking about a 34-year-old woman being “sent to her room” by her husband to cigarettes that are slim to “fit your lips and your purse”. Ahh, breathe in the casual misogyny.

When Virginia Slims first hit the shelves in 1968, they weren’t positioned as just simple cigarettes; they were an entire mood. As a brand of the famous (and decidedly not female) Philip Morris International, Virginia Slims were designed to be thinner, longer and unapologetically tailored to women. They were introduced just as the women’s liberation movement was gaining steam. 

With a sleek design and an unforgettable slogan, Virginia Slims boldly aligned themselves with the modern, independent woman of the day.

But let’s be real. This wasn’t Susan B. Anthony-approved. This was pure consumer marketing; a manufactured world where the fight for equality could be boiled down to slimmer cigarettes and sexier packaging. But it worked. Women flocked to the brand, puffing their way through cocktail parties and PTA meetings with an air of sophistication.

Aesthetic & Cultural Appeal

The slim, 100mm (or longer) design of Virginia Slims made standard cigarettes seem clunky, while the minimalist packaging, bright white with colored stripes, looked, well, chic. These cigarettes were accessories, perfectly complementing other mid-century status symbols like my vintage crystal cigarette lighter.

Virginia Slims also dipped a toe into women’s sports, sponsoring the first Virginia Slims Tennis Tournament in 1970. The tournament gave female athletes a much-needed platform and prize money (if a children’s book on Billie Jean King is to be believed, women didn’t get prize money at the time).

Was it progress? Sure. Was it also a gimmicky PR move to subtly link cigarettes with female empowerment? Why, yes.

Back to That Vintage Tabletop Cigarette Lighter

In the 1950s and ‘60s, everyone smoked literally everywhere, but smoking in the “right way” could still be a statement; one indicating class and refinement. As such, a glamorous lighter, preferably one made of crystal and heavy enough to double as a weapon (seriously, this thing has heft), was a trinket to be desired.

So, let’s say it’s 1960-something, and you’re hosting a suave dinner party in your avocado-green living room (I’m JEALOUS), and a guest reaches for a cigarette. Do you hand over a cheap cardboard match? Absolutely not!

No, you glide your ornate crystal lighter across your kidney-shaped coffee table, briefly reflecting the glow of your space-age chandelier as you smile demurely. This is a drama. It’s class. It’s ridiculous, and that’s why we love it.

Side note: for other ways mid-century hostesses rocked it, check out my article on the vintage Ice-O-Matic Ice Crusher.

Let’s Have Liberation, But Make It Contradictory

The irony of Virginia Slims is, of course, that the very product pitched as a symbol of independence was also extremely fucking deadly. Women were sold a bill of goods that these sleek little cancer sticks would make them gorgeous and slender and carefree, while really they lost their freedom to addiction (likely for life) and Big Tobacco laughed all the way to the bank. 

Today, vintage smoking accessories (a.k.a., tobacciana; another topic I’ll cover soon) have become collectibles, offering glimpses into a world where women’s lib was sold as consumerism. (Of course, that NEVER happens anymore.) The lighter, the cigarettes, the whole ritual is all a reminder that history isn’t just what we did; it’s also what we bought into.