John Lennon’s chin was in constant motion. Rather than saving his breath for the next song, he slowly wiggled his chin sideways. John used this chin movement to complement his iconic glasses, his long hair, his biting irony or a uniform that expressed his attitude to the Vietnam War.
It was a strange circular movement that you don’t see in the spotlight today. But the jaw movement was as significant as rock ‘n’ roll itself. It was even older, and it was even more American. The jawbone was part of pop culture until the early 90s, when it suddenly disappeared at the same time as standing ashtrays. John Lennon chewed gum.
Chewing gum was as much a part of the American dream as the Statue of Liberty. Chewing gum was a way of sticking your chin out to the old world. Chewing was rock ‘n’ roll, but it was also a determination to take control of your life. Aspirational chewing was what customers were doing with Wrigley Spearmint. Back in the 1990s, Wrigley ads sold us the American dream: a sunny California beach, Beach Boys music, real American mint. Just breathe easy. And then someone got the idea that chewing gum could help keep your mouth healthy. The American Dream was replaced by pH curves. The smell of freedom was replaced by fearing periodontal disease. Chewing gum became a medical device and that was the end of its youth.
Cigarettes have followed a similar path of being mortified by their healthiness. Unlike a hand-wrapped cigar, a rechargeable cigarette has the sex appeal of a nicotine prosthesis. Instead of jutting chins, healthy smoking offers nothing more than a few extra years to live. Cigarettes themselves have embarked on a path of demortalisation that will be their death.