We all know the saying “sex sells”. And we also know that advertisement uses models to sell products. The idea behind this is psychological: When you see a beautiful  happy person use a product, you will be inclined to think that if you use that product, you will be happy and beautiful too. There is a danger in this, because it make you believe you need to be perfect, or at least beautiful to be happy. Also, the idea of beauty portrayed in advertisement is very superficial. It focuses only on physical appearance.

In Myanmar, most people appearing in adds will, for example, have very fair skin. And most beauty products contain ingredients that promise to make your skin look fairer. The health effects of such ingredients are in many cases not fully researched and there is evidence that some of these ingredients can be harmful to your skin in the long term. So, it is important to look at advertisement and the products they promote critically. It is also important to look at the image of beauty that is promoted critically. In Western countries, for example, instead of using skin whitening products, women (and men) use skin bronzing products to make it look like you have been out in the sun. This has appeal in Western countries where winters can be dark and gloomy and you may want to look more ‘healthy’. However, even having a sun tan can be dangerous as being in the sun without UV protection can cause skin cancer.

Beauty standards are different in different parts of the world, but they are quite powerful around the world and can make you feel insecure about the way you look. Always remember that advertisements do not give you a full picture of someone’s life and that the images used in advertisement are most of the time altered with computer programmes! You may even experience this yourself when you have your photograph taken and you change your photograph to look more beautiful.

So, remember, every person is unique and beautiful, and when you look at advertisement critically you can decide for yourself what your response is to advertisement.