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What do the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and the Big Mac pictured in advertisements have in common? They are among the finest examples of art ever created by mankind. In fact, "Mona Lisa" isn't an attractive woman, and Venus's arms have long since been knocked off. That particular Big Mac though? That's art. It's beauty resonates across the page or TV screen, and to be perfectly blunt, it's so beautiful that it leaves one's mouth watering.

This sandwich probably wasn't created by a high school kid earning some extra bucks in the evening. Instead, I picture a group of Les Artistes Francaise standing around with their micrometers, stacking the ingredients just so...

"Non, non, non, non, non... The patty, it is, how you say...not perfect!"

The result is a sandwich so flawless that you don't want to eat it. Personally, the pictured sandwich is so beautiful that I want to marry it. JOKING! However, it does seem that all advertisements that involve a visual image are, to be blunt, doctored. The fast food industry is one of the primary culprits, but you see this everywhere. Sometimes it involves creating that one perfect product that will never be duplicated, but often trick photography is the means of reaching an end.

There is no finer example of this than the local real estate pages. Has anybody been house hunting lately? It takes a skilled professional to get a house to pose while he shoots its "good side", and it's funny how the neighbor's satellite dish and the broken down Corvair by the curb are always inches away from making the photograph. Beware of phrases like "charming little starter home." This usually means Jesse James lives next door and a roofer is desperately needed.

False advertising is everywhere, and, yes, it has left most of us a little bit jaded. Old adages such as "too good to be true" and "seeing is believing" sprung from the fact that we have all been fooled many times. It leaves a bad taste in a person's mouth, and don't expect a Coke Zero to wash it all away. It's really not as good as advertised.

Learn more about this author, T.C Leonard.
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