Women of Marubi: When Smoking Was Courage, Emancipation, and a Silent Declaration of Freedom
2025-03-08 10:19:46
TiranaPost
In Albania in the 1930s and 1940s, tobacco was not just a habit, but a symbol of masculinity and social status. Men smoked it with a certain solemnity, even distributing it at funeral ceremonies, as a way to share pain and accompany silence.
Women, on the other hand, stayed away from this practice - at least in the eyes of the conservative society of the time. But Marubi's rare photographs show a different reality, one that was perhaps ahead of its time and that reflects a silent but courageous emancipation.
In some of the memorable negatives of the Marubi collection, young women/models appear smoking, with a calmness and confidence that defied the norms of the era.
It's not just a casual pose, but a silent declaration of freedom. In a society where women were still fighting for their basic rights, these photos were evidence of a change unspeakable in words, but captured eternally on celluloid.
Today, when 21st century girls use cigarettes as a symbol of style, trend or simply for personal pleasure, it is easy to forget that once upon a time, this gesture was an act of rebellion. The Marubi girls were not following a fashion; they were sharing a moment of courage, a challenge to the patriarchal norms that limited their freedom. Ironically or as a sign of the emancipation of what is happening today, even cigarette smoking at that time, photographed as “elegant pipe cigarettes” perfectly resembles the modern smokeless cigarette devices that modern women use today.
In an inevitable way, these unknown women of Albania in the 1930s and 1940s, with cigarettes in their hands and strong gazes, were the forerunners of an era where women could choose for themselves.
These photos are not only historical evidence, but also a reminder that emancipation does not always happen with large demonstrations or new laws.
Sometimes, it happens silently, through a determinedly lit cigarette, a gaze directed forward, and a moment captured eternally by the camera of a master like Marubi.
