Are we stupid?

In the past, we see a lot of mobile phone advertisements in the papers. Nowadays, when we flip through the papers, there are a godzillion ads for slimming centres. Most of them are simply hilarious to me. Some of the agencies seem to think that we, as consumers, are brainless. We see a pretty girl, we think we can be that pretty girl, then we buy. Let's see some of the tricks they use in an attempt to cajole women into getting slimming treatments.

The use of already slim celebrities
We see near-aneroxic celebrities being used to endorse certain slimming products. Lo and behold! The celebrity would actually be someone who loves to eat, not exercise and simply not get fat! Wow! Because of XXX slimming product, she could eat all she wants and not gain an ounce! The difference before using the product and after using it is astounding! She's smiling after eating those pills! It must be good!

Quick! We have to buy it!

The horrible, photoshopless "Before" pics

The "Before" images invariably will have women sitting on chairs in slouched positions. Very strangely, these are usually celebrities whom we have always known to have immaculate postures. Which person can avoid slight "layers" in the stomach while seaten? Then, the "Before" photos have them wearing clothes that are too small, to show off their fats because the cloth clings to the bulges formed, in the first place, by the ill-fitting clothes. Of course, make-up is a sin for these images, let alone Photoshopping.

The flawless, poreless "After" pics
Women in the "After" images are always impeccable, with full make-up, wearing glamourous dresses.

Their postures are something we can learn! Will be great for taking photographs. Firstly, the hands must be on the hips so the flab in the upper arms will not be so obvious. Then one leg must be in front of the other, slightly bent, so we can look taller. These "After" photos will also be photoshopped so the girls in them look like they do not have pores. No fats and no pores! OMG! We so have to sign a treatment program with the slimming centre! Can slim down and smooth out simultaneously!

The disclaimer
Have you noticed how the ads always have a * somewhere in the large print?

If we follow this *, we will come to a chunk of words at the bottom that are hardly legible. Then magnifying these words by a couple thousand times, we have:

So there is some kind of contradiction here. First you claim, then you tell people it is actually not so with a disclaimer in minuscule print. Maybe only the lucky one out of a million can lost 10kg in a single session. Alas! That someone will not be you if you do not stick to a carrot-and-pea diet or a 3-hour daily exercise regime.

The ones with incredible measurement techniques
Ever seen one of those where the woman will proclaimed to have lost 0.x cm? As if we don't know she can suck in her stomach, or tighten the measuring tape to take a smaller measurement.

With such a technique, anyone can lost 0.x cm in a day.

I'm sorry if this post burst the bubbles of marketers out there. More new tricks? ^-^