Women and Cigars

Women and Cigars: Who Decided Cigars Were Only for Men?

From aristocratic salons to modern social gatherings – a story of women, tradition, independence, and the evolution of etiquette.

By Tami Lancut Leibovitz

A few evenings ago, I attended a festive Chapitre of the international gastronomic association, Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, at the Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center.

At the end of a wonderful evening, I joined a group of good friends on the rooftop terrace overlooking Jerusalem. The formal dinner was over, the atmosphere was relaxed, and I was enjoying something I occasionally appreciate in good company: a cigar.

Then a young woman approached me and asked, with genuine surprise:

"How can a woman who teaches etiquette smoke a cigar?"

I smiled.

Not because the question was amusing, but because of the centuries of social history hidden behind it.

Had I been a man, I suspect the question would never have been asked.

Why is a cigar in a man's hand often associated with tradition, status, or sophistication, while the same cigar in a woman's hand can still raise eyebrows?

The answer takes us on a fascinating journey through aristocratic drawing rooms, gentlemen's clubs, unconventional women, and even the little paper band wrapped around a cigar.

Women Smoked Cigars Long Before Cigars Became a Gentlemen's Tradition

Contrary to popular perception, tobacco consumption was never exclusively male.

In various Indigenous cultures of the Americas, tobacco was used by both women and men for ceremonial, social, and sometimes medicinal purposes.

When tobacco reached Europe, attitudes toward its consumption varied considerably across countries, social classes, and historical periods.

During the nineteenth century, however, cigar smoking became increasingly associated with masculine identity, particularly among the European upper and middle classes.

After formal dinners, gentlemen would often withdraw to the smoking room, where cigars accompanied discussions about politics, business, and society.

Women, meanwhile, were frequently expected to remain in the drawing room.

The distinction was about far more than tobacco.

The cigar became a symbol of access to social spaces, influential conversations, and networks of power from which women were often excluded.

And that is where the story becomes particularly interesting.

George Sand: The Woman Who Refused to Ask Permission

One of the most fascinating women associated with cigar smoking was the French novelist George Sand, born Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin in 1804.

Sand challenged many of the social conventions of her time.

She sometimes wore men's clothing, adopted a masculine pen name, and expressed independent views on literature, relationships, and society.

She was also known for smoking cigars.

In nineteenth-century France, when respectable feminine behavior was governed by strict expectations, such choices could be provocative.

For Sand, challenging convention was part of a much broader commitment to personal and intellectual independence.

Her cigar did not make her an important writer. Her talent, ideas, and literary achievements did.

Yet it became one of the visible symbols of a woman who refused to let society define every aspect of her identity.

The Cigar Band and the White Gloves: An Elegant Legend

There is a charming story associated with the small paper band wrapped around a cigar.

According to a popular legend, the cigar band was introduced to prevent tobacco stains from marking the delicate white gloves worn by aristocratic women.

One version even attributes the idea to Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia.

It is a delightful image: an elegant woman, pristine white gloves, a cigar, and a simple paper band designed to preserve her appearance.

But as with many stories passed down through generations, the historical evidence is less romantic.

There is no reliable documentation establishing that Catherine the Great invented the cigar band.

The development of commercial cigar bands is more convincingly associated with nineteenth-century branding, product identification, and efforts to distinguish genuine cigars from imitations.

Nevertheless, the legend reveals something important about the social codes of the period.

White gloves were not merely accessories. They represented refinement, cleanliness, social standing, and attention to appearance.

Whether or not the story is historically accurate, it offers a fascinating glimpse into the relationship between fashion, etiquette, and cigar culture.

Marlene Dietrich: When the Cigar Became a Statement

By the twentieth century, women smoking cigars had become part of a broader cultural conversation about independence and changing gender roles.

One of the most recognizable figures associated with this image was the German-American actress Marlene Dietrich.

Dietrich challenged conventional ideas of femininity through her clothing, public persona, and personal style.

Her tailored suits, masculine-inspired evening wear, confident posture, and association with cigars helped create an image that was both sophisticated and unconventional.

In an era when women's public behavior was still closely scrutinized, such imagery carried symbolic significance.

The cigar could suggest confidence, defiance, or freedom from traditional expectations.

For some women, it was simply a personal preference.

For others, it became part of a larger rejection of the idea that elegance and independence were incompatible.

And perhaps that is the most interesting point.

Elegance was no longer defined solely by obedience to convention.

A Question of Etiquette – Not Gender

This brings me back to the question I was asked on that Jerusalem rooftop.

Can a woman who teaches etiquette smoke a cigar?

To answer it, we must first distinguish between etiquette and social convention.

Etiquette is not simply a collection of old-fashioned restrictions designed to preserve the past.

At its best, etiquette is a living language of respect, consideration, awareness, and appropriate behavior.

There is no modern etiquette principle stating that a woman should not smoke a cigar simply because she is a woman.

There are, however, clear principles of consideration surrounding smoking, and they apply equally to everyone.

Smoking should never take place where it is prohibited. No one should be exposed to unwanted smoke. The comfort and health of others must always be respected, and the surrounding environment should be left clean.

It is also important to acknowledge that cigar smoking carries significant health risks, including for those who do not inhale the smoke into their lungs. Secondhand smoke can harm others as well.

The cultural history of cigars does not make smoking harmless, nor does tradition justify disregarding other people's comfort.

Etiquette is not determined by whether a cigar is held by a man or a woman. It is reflected in how that person treats everyone around them.

The Cigar Remains. The Conventions Have Changed.

When I think back to that evening in Jerusalem, I do not remember the question as a debate about smoking.

I remember it as a meeting between two different understandings of etiquette.

One sees etiquette as a fixed set of rules inherited from previous generations.

The other understands etiquette as a social language that evolves alongside human relationships, cultural values, and changing times.

Not every tradition needs to disappear.

And not every convention deserves to survive.

We can appreciate the history of cigars, understand the rituals surrounding them, and explore their cultural significance while remaining fully aware of their health risks and respecting everyone's right to clean air.

So, to the young woman who asked how an etiquette expert could smoke a cigar, my answer would be simple:

"Etiquette does not decide what is appropriate for a woman and what is appropriate for a man. It teaches us how to respect one another, even when our personal choices are different."

Because ultimately:

Etiquette is the human language that crosses borders, bridges differences, and connects people.

Further Reading

For readers interested in the history of cigars, their production, traditions, and the etiquette surrounding them, explore two additional articles on TLL:

Cigars – Pleasure Wrapped in Knowledge

The Ritual of Cigar Smoking