. Needless to say the ad proved to be lusterless among some of the critical Thai population, but that didn’t prevent many more ill-thought out ads containing ridiculous prejudicial notions following it. The advertising, which often shamelessly exploits people’s (mostly women) insecurities, are part of a growing trend. Global research says the skin whitening industry in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East is booming, and may be worth an estimated $23 billion by 2020.