<<As Nina mentioned, very few women spend their lives "as they were born". You guys don't respond to images of "natural" looking women, other than to say "ewww, frumpé". >>

There is a difference between makeup, which is not permanent or costly to remove, easily accessible, and has been around for thousands of years in some way, shape or form, and plastic surgery, which is expensive both to get and to remove, and can be dangerous to health. Where makeup is meant to highlight features one is born with, plastic surgery is there to reconstruct and totally change the way a person naturally looks. There are some hefty risks in surgery, and plastic surgery is definately no different.

<<You just seem to be against any tactic used by those corporations.>>

Nah, not all. There are lots of commercials and billboards that aren't disgusting to me.

<<but the point is that the causes themselves need to make "a profit" (as in, not a loss) unless you think this is all about changing hearts and minds. They need people to donate so that they can keep going.>>

Again, there are other successful tactics. What about using humor instead? That's pretty successful.

<<this advert is not aimed at men.>>

Then why the hell do the ladies have to be naked? Okay, in this specific one it makes sense, but the Pam Andersen one? There was a PETA-organized protest which involved nude girls painted as dogs in cages. Why the hell did they have to be naked? And why all women?

<<I point you again to PETA's more traditional "LOOK LOOK DEAD ANIMALS EWWWW" tactic>>

And as I said in another post, it's either violence or sex. Both of which are overused and cheap.

I don't really get the relevance, but okay, what about piercings? Would they be gross and unrealistic?

What, all those myriad hilarious angles you can take on animal cruelty? It's not like most humour doesn't derive from sex and/or violence. I mean, some of it's about poo, but that's it.

Because women respond to female nudity as well. I don't mean in a lesbian way, I mean in a "omg, she has a great body and looks great, why am I so fat? ... wait, maybe if I do what the advert says I won't be!!" way. And don't say that's stupid because it isn't.

So what wouldn't be cheap, but would get the message across?

<<but okay, what about piercings? Would they be gross and unrealistic?>>

Piercings are a whole different thing. Makeup is more on par with plastic surgery than piercings are with either, at least as far as conventionality goes. For one, they have nothing to do with acheiving an unrealistic beauty standard. For two, anyone can sanitize a needle and pierce their nose, ears, bellybutton, etc. For three, they have cultural relevance in some parts of the world, going beyond beauty in some places. I could go on and on about this one.

<<What, all those myriad hilarious angles you can take on animal cruelty? It's not like most humour doesn't derive from sex and/or violence. I mean, some of it's about poo, but that's it.>>

Seriously? You don't know of much humor that doesn't revolve around sex, violence or shit? I've certainly heard/seen some.

You can approach the issue from many directions, not just the sex/violence approach.

<<I mean in a "omg, she has a great body and looks great, why am I so fat? ... wait, maybe if I do what the advert says I won't be!!" way. And don't say that's stupid because it isn't.>>

Yes, I do say it's stupid. "Maybe if I do what the advert says I won't be fat?" You really think that? I'm not saying *you're* stupid, but the idea that people will think they'll automatically think their looks will change by not wearing leather, "because Jenna Jameson doesn't," is completely outlandish.

<<So what wouldn't be cheap, but would get the message across?>>

Well, for starters, with the US's failing economy, mentioning that the money spent on fur or leather (both quite expensive) could be spent instead on good food, a nice dinner, catching up on bills, etc and synthetic furs/pleather cost far less on both animal welfare and the checkbook.

Environmentalism is all the rage now, too, so that could be a strong topic to play on, especially since a lot of leather, maybe even most, comes from factory farms producing beef.

Advertising isn't my strong suit, but there are definately many other convincing ways to get a point across.