Cosmetics advertising

The advertising campaigns are usually aimed at women wishing to improve their appearance, commonly to increase physical attractiveness and reduce the signs of ageing.

[4] As many people are aware that their personal appearance can have a significant effect on how they are treated by others, advertising can use these concerns by encouraging the target market to buy products.

[10] This thin ideal represents less than 5% of the American population leaving 95% of females with a beauty norm that is impossible to meet.

[12] Each image is painstakingly worked over: teeth and eyeballs are bleached white; blemishes, wrinkles, and stray hairs are airbrushed away.

[15] Researchers have found a correlation between exposure to cosmetic advertisements and body image issues among black women.

For example, cosmetic companies tend to glorify euro-centric characteristics over other physical features and this leaves people who lack these traits extremely self-conscious.

[16] The results supported the hypothesis that mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, are more common among women who have undergone cosmetic surgery than their non-patient counterparts.