“Everywhere we turn, advertisements tell us what it means to be a desirable man or woman.”(The Price of Happiness) The way advertisers represent men and women is faulty in how it limits a person’s senses of what he/she can and should be. Models for ads must no longer be airbrushed and edited with Photoshop software just because ads would like to present their image of ‘perfect’ to consumers. Also, consumers must understand that certain ideas of appearance are an effect of media and not always absolute truths.

“Ads tend to convey that appearance is all-important.”(The Price of Happiness)
This is another opinionated idea generated by media, yet it is quite a problem for the younger and more gullible consumers. For example, in the article “The Price of Happiness” it is stated that 80% of 10-year old girls report having dieted! The false portrayal of actors in ads is to blame for these disturbing and unhealthy eating habits. The actors are always extremely skinny, athletic, beautiful, handsome, and with clear complexions. These expectations from the average human are not at all normal. They were created by those who wanted to sell certain kinds of products that without, you would be considered unacceptable. I am in awe of the many people who try to gain that ‘acceptability’ into society, who expect themselves to look like the actors in ads.

A consumer’s want to become ‘acceptable’ and have that ‘blemish-free’ appearance causes him/her to feud against him/herself, which results in low self-esteem. In this way, “ads limit our understanding of our worth and full potential” (The Price of Happiness), which fuels our will to be just like ‘the