I hate snakes. Just looking at pictures of them makes my stomach coil and flesh crawl. When I'm troubled or confused, they slither into my dreams, generally in groups. My phobia has made me nervous about traveling to places where snakes are common and leery about walking in jungles and deserts, and that's aggravating. When you're nervous, you can't fully enjoy seeing and doing new things, and you're far less likely to take a risk that might result in a wonderful adventure.
Snakes figure large in myths all over the world and have long been associated with women.
Surely the urge to light up a stogie is just as natural as the fear of snakes. They look slimy. Their tongues are forked. They don't have eyelids. I'm fairly sure most men hate them too.