And perhaps what's most insidious about this is that it takes very human, very real feelings and desires such as the need to love and be loved, the need for authentic connection, the need for meaningful work, for respect, and it yokes these feelings to products. It tells us that our ability to attain love depends upon our attractiveness. By now most of us know that these images are unrealistic and unhealthy, that implants leak, anorexia and bulimia can kill, and, in real life, model Heidi Klum has pores. Most people like to think advertising doesn't affect them. Women don't buy into this because we're shallow or vain or stupid but because the stakes are high.
Men do leave their wives for younger, more beautiful women as their wives age.
There is manifest contempt and real-life consequences for women who don't measure up. These images work to keep us in line. Girls get terrible messages about sex from advertising and popular culture. Girls are told that boys are out for sex at all times, and girls should always look as if they are ready to give it. The emphasis for girls and women is always on being desirable, not being agents of their own desire.