In fact, even executives in fashion and beauty magazines see an alarming trend of "too thin" to the point of looking emaciated and unhealthy -- certainly not a look that "sells" (Wilson 542). What is happening is a continual push to be something different, not because there is actually anything wrong with us -- at all. It is because advertising tells us that something is wrong. Advertising is part of the marketing mix that is designed to persuade a consumer to purchase something. Of course, there are many ways of doing this, and the "science" of this media has certainly evolved in the last century. Advertising is subliminal, sophisticated, pervasive, covert, overt, and a seminal part of the contemporary world. However, advertising has become so sophisticated that it sends messages both overt and covert that even if we are not paying attention to the exact product, the images we see become part of our cultural identity. The "power" of advertising in undeniable -- so powerful, it can even get the public upset over something as "earth-shattering" as the taste of a soft drink. Is there hope, or even a partial solution to this issue of changing so much of ourselves that we are continually unhappy because we can never be perfect?

Research also shows that familiar messages, concerns, and pressures have a strong effect on the way adolescent's perceive their body image. First, they are bombarded by advertising telling them they are "too fat," they have "the wrong hair color," their body shape "just isn't right," and a litany of other complaints that are simply, and usually, either genetic or just part of the maturation process. Parents, though, tend to be hyper critical to the extreme. If they perceive their child is too thin they will push food, sweets, and constantly nag; if they perceive their child is too pudgy, they will likely withhold food, change the way meals are served, or even lambast the child in front of siblings (Croll 539).

However, to the other extreme, many poorer families do not monitor meals because of...

This is so endemic of a problem that even children as young as 8 -- elementary school, believe that their weight is strongly correlated with self-worth and are so concerned that the worry about dieting when they should be concerned about proper nutrition (Croll 540).
What should happen to the public so that the effects of advertising are lessened? The simple answer is to change the very nature of the way we think about products from consumers to intelligent critical thinkers. Critical thinking is primarily a way of looking at information, processing that information in an analytical manner, and being able to bring outside materials to bear upon the material studied. It is more of a process, and can be utilized in public speaking, reading, watching television or movies, or a general approach to daily life. In general, the basic aspect of critical thinking is to analyze the source material and decide upon its veracity and relevance (Cosgrove). For example, not everything posted on the Internet is true; one must read to establish the sources of the material. A critical thinker also uses other senses to establish their opinion of the stimuli, be that visual, audible, or even body-language (in the case of speech, etc.). When viewing advertising, for instance, the critical thinker would go beyond and behind the words and images to find out what message was really being sent? Is that sale on that car for all the models, or just one particular one; are there added costs, what does the fine print say, are there stipulations. The operative word would be, use critical thinking to be careful -- knowing that the job of advertising is to convince.

REFERENCES

Croll, J. "From Body Image and Adolescents." Elements of Arguments. Ed. a. Rottenberg and D. Winchell. 9th. New York: St. Martin's, 2010. 536-41.

Wilson, E. "When Is Thin Too Thin?" Elements of Arguments. Ed. a. Rottenberg and D. Winchell. 9th. New York: St. Martin's, 2010. 542-4.