On January 21, 1908, New York City’s Sullivan Ordinance made it unlawful for women to smoke in public. The municipality was passed after being advocated for by city Alderman Timothy “Little Tim,” but was shortly vetoed by the New York City Mayor. The law sparked widespread public discussion about women’s rights.
The law was immediately tested by Katie Mulcahey, who lit up a cigarette in public and was arrested on the spot. She was taken to jail and fined $5. Mulcahey is said to have told the judge, “I have never heard of this new law, and I don’t want to hear about it. No man shall dictate to me.” Shortly after, the NYC mayor removed the law.
At the time, women who smoked were seen as immoral. During the 1900s, women who ventured out in public independently without a man were seen as prostitutes. However, the advent of the department store made it socially acceptable for women to travel in public without an escort. This led women to strive for suffrage and to begin participating in public activism.
The law marked a pivotal point in allowing women to participate in the same public activities as men. Previously seen as compromising family values, women were not featured in cigarette advertisements until 1919. In the 1920s, 5% of cigarettes were smoked by women. However, at the time, many cigarette companies were worried about the prohibition and did not sell to women.
By 1927, cigarettes began being associated with slimness, and advertisement campaigns started being directed towards women. Most notably, Marlboro’s cigarettes were advertised in women’s fashion magazines with their campaign “Milk as May”. In 1928, the American Tobacco Company created its slogan, “Reach for a Lucky Instead of a Sweet.”
By World War II, one-third of women smoked, causing an increase in lung cancer by the 1960s. American Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare Joseph A. Califano, JR commented, “Women who smoke like men die like men who smoke,” in 1979. In 1986, female lung cancer rates exceeded breast cancer rates, and by 2000, female lung cancer diagnoses surpassed male rates.
The Sullivan Ordinance was a key moment for the women’s rights movement, sparking debate about the role of women in society. About a decade later, women earned the right to vote.
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