Yet with women becoming more independent, they also became principle buyers. So the tobacco industry wanted to open the cigar market to women. Tobacco companies and cigar makers, in order to cater to women, now make special cigars just for women. These cigars are tapered at the end so it is easier for a woman to hold and to light it. There are also cigars called Robustos and Flintos, which are smaller than regular cigars.
Cigarillos are cigars that resemble cigarettes.
As a national trend, women cigar smokers are on the rise. The Cigar Association of America estimates there are about half a million female cigar smokers, which accounts for 5 percent of all cigars sales. This is up from 1 percent in the 1980s. Some female celebrities are joining this fad. Actress Demi Moore posed on the fall 1996 cover of cigar magazine Cigar Aficionado and spoke of her new hobby in an article.