Advertising

This page describes our beliefs and practices about advertising. While we see advertising as a healthy and positive part of society, and the economy, we think that advertising can also have a negative impact on people and on society.

Problems with advertising

• Dishonesty or lack of truthfulness about whatever is being promoted
• Promoting unhealthy thinking. Examples:

• Stating or implying that people need a certain product, and that they are inadequate without it. This sort of advertising can be harmful because it cultivates a negative self-image with the goal of selling a product. The negative self-image can cause all sorts of other problems.
• Promoting materialism, such as equating spending money with showing affection for someone.
• Encouraging an unhealthy view of one's own body.
• Setting bad examples, such as when an advertisement contains unhealthy behavior that is depicted as positive or natural.
• Depicting negative stereotypes, like those of gender or race, in a way that reinforces these stereotypes in society.