There’s a new ad on TV for an acne medicine that shows one of the most stunning young women I’ve ever seen complaining about her acne.

Let me be absolutely, perfectly clear about this. She does not have acne. She’s never had acne. She is flawless, spotless, unblemished. She has no bumps, no pits, no scars — just acres of china-doll skin. It’s obvious that what she knows about acne could fit in a thimble with room left over for a finger. The only thing comparable to watching her talk about the horrors of acne would be watching Donald Trump complain about hair loss.

She is also, I’m guessing, about 22. Her hair and makeup are perfect. It probably took 10 professional hair and makeup artists 18 hours to make it look like she is wearing no makeup at all and like her hair is falling naturally the way it does when she gets out of bed in the morning, highlights and back-lighting included. In short, she is exactly what your 14-year-old wishes she looked like, down to the pouty, slightly bee-stung lips.

The trouble is, except for the pout, your 14-year-old will never look like the woman in this ad, unless she is a pop star or the girlfriend of a Russian mobster. It is not possible for there to be two women who look like this on one little planet.

But your teen does not know that. She thinks there are millions of other teens in high schools all across the country who look just like the woman in the commercial because their parents aren’t holding them back the way you are holding her back. The girl in the commercial is beautiful and acne-free because (pick one or more of the following reasons):

• Her parents let her date, and not just date. They let her date anybody she wants, no matter how undesirable.

• Her parents bought her a brand-new (name of expensive car here).