text: knowing what the effect of ads are on people, why do we allow ads showing beautiful people, false 'reality'? with all the health studies showing the manipulation of our youth through media, why are companies allowed to portray skinny, perfect people as normal. too many people believe they will not be happy until they are like the couple in the ad sitting down to dinner or the girl on the clothing commercial. i realise advertisers make money if they sell products but showing beautiful people, happy because they have a new dusting cloth or surrounded by admirers because of their designer clothes is on a level with the radical leader telling people they will be 'saved' if they join him in his 'quest'. while i don't believe in censorship, promoting happiness through materialistic or superficial images doesn't seem right to me either. i don't feel advertising is totally at fault. we as individuals have free will and fine minds to choose what we purchase. sometimes people have image and reality issues. many attractive people look in the mirror and actually don't see themselves in a positive light. boils down to what influenced your own self efficacy, and even how a person was raised to make decisions.old proverb> a fool and his money are soon parted.