It's a propaganda piece, not a commentary. It's brilliant because it is framed as if this is some kind of informal experiment, which is all that is needed to t

It's a propaganda piece, not a commentary. It's brilliant because it is framed as if this is some kind of informal experiment, which is all that is needed to tap into the insecurities of women that have self-esteem issues. Even rational women will be affected by this (just as rational men would be should it be targeted at men). The brilliant thing about this advert is that it captures the audience with intrigue, and then breaks down the "facts" while at the same time telling women to really feel more beautiful than they think they are. What this does is it gets buy-in from the audience so that when the advert proposes soap and cleanliness to further the idea of beauty. In one study[0] about persuasion, it was found that when you try to advertise or sell a product, making statements or representing a world view that the audience can agree with first will make them more likely to agree with you when you then pitch them the product. As for the "honesty" of this, a real study is posted elsewhere in this thread that points to the contrary. [0] http://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/facbios/file/10-0352%20The%20Role%20of%20Bolstering%20and%20Counterarguing%20Mindsets%20in%20Persuasion.pdf http://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/facbios/file/10-0352%20The%20R...