It was enterprising merchants who turned humble soap into a beauty product. Clever advertisements led customers to believe that using certain personal hygiene products would give the user social status that others could only envy. Television perpetuates this fantasy. The successful and glamorous people featured in commercials and on soap operas are seldom seen cleaning the house, sweeping the yard, picking up trash, or cleaning up after their pet cats and dogs. Yes, it is beauty supplies that we have come to believe holds the key to our happiness. We see these products in advertisements and feel we just have to have them.