The “
swimmer's body illusion” occurs when we confuse selection factors with results. People think they can get a
swimmer's body just by training hard. However, professional
swimmers don't have their kind of
body because they train hard; rather, they are good
swimmers because they have that kind of
body.
Advertisement campaigns use this trick to lure us into buying their brands. First, a model who is already attractive and fair is the chosen. Then, she is darkened and made unattractive with makeup. For the sole purpose of the campaign, she is shown using the magic cream marketed by the brand and viola! the model is now fair AND lovely. Without this illusion, half of advertising campaigns would not work.
