Virginia Slims is a brand of cigarette manufactured by Altria Group (formerly Phillip Morris Companies). The brand was introduced in 1968 & marketed to young professional women using the slogan "You've come a long way, baby."<br /><br /> Some media watch groups considered this campaign to be responsible for a rapid increase in smoking among teenage girls. A report by the Surgeon General of the US has interpreted these marketing strategies as attempting to link smoking "to women's freedom, emancipation, and empowerment."<br /><br />Virginia Slims are much narrower (23mm circumference) than ordinary cigarettes (hence, "Slims"), and are also longer than normal "king-sized" cigarettes (which are 85mm), sold only in longer 100mm and 120mm lengths, to give the cigarettes a more "elegant" appearance and ostensibly to reduce the amount of smoke they produce. The packaging, designed by Walter Landor, is white with colored stripes running lengthwise along the left side.<br /><br />Public Domain (age)
