Interesting thread going here. A pretty strong trend seems to be the association between pipe smoking and an older generation of men - and between pipes and hipsters (or aspiring hipsters). I guess my perceptions of the images connected with pipe smoking are a little different. As a young kid, I encountered a lot of pipe and cigar smokers whom I didn't really peg to any particular generation or social category. Like quite a few pipe guys, I had a beloved grandpa who smoked pipes; his pipe was really a personal signature, and he smoked it all the time - like so many men of his generation. I also remember my dad smoking pipes and cigars (somewhat irregularly) through my childhood and adolescence. Quite a few of his coworkers and friends, along with extended family members his age, enjoyed pipes and cigars, as well. Thinking back, I just had a sense that certain men gravitated toward cigar or pipe smoking (in contrast to smoking cigarettes, which always seemed like an ordinary and unpleasant habit). My grandpa and my dad enjoyed their pipes while working and socializing; I remember that they smoked cigars mainly on special occasions. Another strong memory is how taking up pipe smoking seemed to pass from pipe-smoking fathers to their sons.
A few things that always drew me toward pipe smoking were the ritual, the pleasant aroma of pipe smoke, the look of a good quality pipe, and the slow and deliberate process of savoring a bowl of quality tobacco. A man smoking a pipe just seemed relaxed and easygoing. I remember spending time with my grandpa and my dad (especially during periods when he smoked pipes): I'd observe carefully, enjoy the scent of the smoke, and admire how composed they seemed with a pipe clenched in their teeth. I thought smoking a pipe was pretty cool, and I looked forward to the very first chance I'd have to try it myself. It might seem a little weird, but it probably didn't occur to me then that my taking up pipe smoking would surprise anyone or make me look "old" or weird. ;-)
I tried my first little mass-market cigar (probably a tipped Swisher or Black & Mild) when was 14 or so, foolishly thinking that I'd like it a lot more than I really did: The disappointment in the flavor and experience told me that cigars were maybe an acquired taste that had to develop in adulthood (even though guys my age seemed to like them just fine - I'll admit that I kinda wanted to be like them). My attempt to like tobacco made the cigar and pipe hobby seem a little more alluring - something that not just anybody enjoys right off the bat. I still had a really strong urge to find out if a pipe would be different, so I made off with one of my dad's pipes and gave it a few tries on the sly. Of course, I didn't know how to pack or light or handle a pipe, even after watching expert pipe smokers go through the routine for so long. With a little effort, I got the hang of it and found smoking a pipe to be amazingly enjoyable. I didn't feel great about keeping the hobby a secret, but I smoked on the sly because I was underage - not because I was worried about what anyone would think of a teenager smoking pipes (or the occasional cigar). Being around pipe smokers during that time was a little like torture: I had a strong desire to smoke myself but settled for savoring the scent and letting people know I was gonna smoke a pipe as soon as I turned 18.
Summer before college, I went for a campus orientation weekend - first time I'd really been out on my own. One of the RAs running the orientation smoked a pipe, which gave me the nerve to smoke my pipe in a public setting for the first time. I remember thinking that, if a 20-year-old college student could smoke a pipe, no reason I couldn't, too. I won't say I wasn't nervous lighting up the first few times - I was nervous about what people would think and say (but who doesn't think that way when they're 17?). When I went home for the rest of the summer, I told my dad I wanted my 18th birthday gift to be a nice pipe, 'cuz I wanted a good pipe to take to college for freshman year. Getting that pipe and turning 18 meant I could enjoy a smoke without sneaking around. Unlike what a lot of guys have said about how people react to pipe smoking, most people said they thought the pipe suited me and left it at that. At school, I noticed guys smoking pipes pretty often, but none of them fit any particular "image," as far as I could tell. Some were kinda nerdy (like me). My dorm-mate turned out to be a pipe smoker - also a little nerdy, but he socialized with a very popular crowd (who never discouraged him from smoking his pipe because he was "too young"). Guys in my classes who smoked pipes never seemed to fit into any social category, necessarily: jocks on the rowing team, preppy guys with polo shirts, studious types with glasses who'd wear tweedy jackets to class, pale semi-goth guys who always wore black jeans and tee shirts ...
After my younger brother saw me smoke a pipe, he said he thought it was natural - though at first he said he couldn't figure out if smoking a pipe was too cool or not cool enough for me. ;-)
Looking forward to reading more posts on the topic! John
