The following pictures are from a current television commercial in Korea for Aritaum cosmetics. While I know that Aritaum has no more lofty purpose than to sell as much lipstick, perfume and eyeshadow as possible, this ad actually touches on a lot of very serious issues–and I shudder at the negative messages it sends to both men and women.

It starts with a couple sitting in a patio. The man looks at his girlfriend who has the “gall” to be looking really relaxed: she has glasses on instead of contacts, her hair is up in a bun, and she’s not wearing makeup. The boyfriend’s look of disgust is followed by captions which inform the viewer that they have been dating for three years. The man laments that it seems they are more like siblings than lovers  since she’s not prettying herself up anymore.

When he sees a nearby couple acting…