It’s been a minute since our last “Article Outrage” and honestly – that’s kind of a good thing, and kind of a bad thing.

It’s a good thing because our combined blood pressure over at the Demoiselles’ newsroom has been at an average level lately, but bad because that means companies are getting a little more obfuscated when it comes to their marketing strategy.

Well, only some companies are getting “better” at hiding their motives. Unfortunately, major beauty company Estée Lauder is not included in that group.

While watching Hell’s Kitchen on Hulu the other evening, my nightly post-work-day ritual, I was asked if I’d like to take a quick survey to keep my episode of Hell’s Kitchen commercial-free… Or if I’d like to skip it, and watch the program with regular commercial intervals. My boyfriend and I always watch the “extended commercial” or take a silly quiz for a couple minutes because it takes less time than the combined commercials throughout the show.

This is what I found:

Absolutely disgusting. Each time I answered with an honest, “I like the way I look” answer, it asked me to reconsider…

Reconsider my level of stress (are you sure it’s not higher?), reconsider my level of exposure to pollutants (are you sure you’re not crawling in noxious fumes?) and, most sickening of all, reconsider how I view myself (are you sure you don’t see yourself as older, and dislike it?).

This is the exact type of subversive advertising that upholds the media-imposed standard of beauty… And previously respected companies like Estee Lauder are willing to sink so low as to encourage you to re-evaluate your positive body image… just so they can sell a product.

The more these kind of negative tactics are exposed, the faster we can get rid of them. Don’t let yourself be brought down by advertising – they do not have your best interest at heart. They don’t want you to feel beautiful, they want you to feel like you need to buy their frivolous, anti-aging products.

Let Estée Lauder know how you don’t appreciate their subversive advertising tactics! Use their Contact Page to send them a letter telling them that you feel beautiful despite the fact that they try to make you feel flawed. Call their 24-hour service line (877-311-3883) and tell them to stop preying on women by using their body image against them! Say “WTF” to the parent company by using their form letter Contact Page!

The only way we can put a stop to this kind of advertising is by speaking out – do your part to keep advertisers honest and ask them to talk about the products – not about you.

**Wondering what to use as a replacement for the Estee Lauder makeup you just threw away?  Fear not: we’ve found a body- and age-positive alternative!**