R.J. Reynolds' marketing of its new Camel No. 9 cigarettes appeals to teenage girls, according to a group of U.S. senators who are calling on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate.

The Associated Press reported May 4 that five senators signed onto a letter to FTC chair Deborah Platt Majoras charging that, "Camel No. 9 cigarettes are being advertised to appeal to teenage girls' desire to be 'chic' and 'cosmopolitan' ... Teenage girls are especially vulnerable to this kind of advertising pitch."

"We believe it is time for the FTC to step in to protect our nation's teenagers from cigarettes, a product that kills one-third of its users," adds the letter, signed by  Sens. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).

"This Camel campaign is one of the most egregious, blatant attempts to make cigarette smoking sexy, cool and popular among teenage girls that we've seen in years," said Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

The cigarettes are packaged in black boxes with a teal or fuscia border; ads in women's magazines tout Camel No. 9 as "light and luscious" on pages adorned with images of roses and lace.

R.J. Reynolds said the cigarettes are marketed to adult women. "We're trying to connect with women adult smokers. That is the only audience we're interested in connecting with," a company spokesperson said.