CANCER experts want advertisements for Beyonce Knowles'

The billboard and newspaper advertisements show the pop diva in a glamorous pose with a cigarette in a long, old-fashioned holder in one hand.

Queensland Cancer Fund tobacco issues co-ordinator Catherine Mahony said the image could encourage young women to smoke.

"While it doesn't break any laws, we're disappointed Beyonce has tried to portray this kind of image to her Queensland audience," Ms Mahony said.

"There are other ways she can create this image without having to use tobacco products."

Beyonce was portraying smoking as "sexy and cool" in the advertisements, she said.

"Young women in particular are influenced by what they see in the media," Ms Mahony said.

"So it doesn't help that they are regularly exposed to images such as celebrities smoking.

"With young women, image issues usually win out over health issues and it can actually be a prompt for them to start smoking."

YaVon DeCarlo
 Publicist

Tickets went on sale on Friday for her Brisbane Entertainment Centre show on April 22.