Deficit advertising is a form of marketing that capitalizes on people's insecurities and lack of self-esteem. It is a widespread practice in the West, especially with the low cost of communication and the ability to target large numbers of people through emails and social media ads. Deficit advertising often targets women, feeding on arbitrary beauty standards perpetuated by pop culture. This form of advertising is problematic because it doesn't solve any problems and only reinforces feelings of inadequacy.

How to spot it?

To fight against deficit advertising, it's important to ask yourself why you feel the need to change and whether the reason is rooted in your own desires or influenced by external factors. Additionally, it's important to examine how deficit advertising is affecting your mental health and exploiting moments of weakness.

How to fight it?

One solution to limit the impact of deficit advertising is to reduce your exposure to it. This can be done by limiting use of social media, paying for ad-free platforms like YouTube Premium, and shaping your environment to minimize exposure to ads.

It's important to remember that being inspired by others is not necessarily negative, but it becomes problematic when it leads to feelings of inadequacy and failure. The key is to differentiate between inspiration and comparison, and to be mindful of how advertising is influencing your thoughts and decisions.

The impact of deficit advertising on mental health is significant and can reinforce feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem. To fight against it, it's important to be mindful of the reasons behind your desire for change and to examine how deficit advertising is affecting your mental health.

One solution to limit the impact of deficit advertising is to reduce your exposure to it by limiting use of social media, paying for ad-free platforms, and shaping your environment to minimize exposure to ads.

It's also important to differentiate between inspiration and comparison, and to be mindful of how advertising is influencing your thoughts and decisions.