One of the many reasons I hate sales and marketing is that only one side of the story is ever presented: the side that induces you to buy the product.  The positive features are exaggerated and the negatives are either downplayed or ignored.  The moment I sense that I am being sold something, my defenses kick in, because I know I am not being told the whole truth.

I am especially annoyed by the people who market themselves as if they were a brand.  They also show only one side of themselves: a pretty package, a carefully manufactured persona-as-product they hope you will buy.  Integral to their self-marketing is how they depict themselves on their websites and in promotional materials.  Invariably, they appear to be fresh and ageless, as good brands should be, reality be damned.

I call such people identiposers — people who allow (or promote) the misrepresentation of their image for potential personal gain.  Allow me to present a few examples.

On the left is the image that Barbara Walters, age 85, uses as her Facebook profile photo. On the right is a snapshot of Ms. Walters following her May 2015 appearance on David Letterman’s show.

On the left is the image of Bonnie Raitt, age 65, that she displays on her website.  On the right is a photo of Ms. Raitt at a February 2015 music awards program.

On the left is the image of so-called Doctor Mehmet Oz, age 55, that he uses on his Twitter page.  On the right is a photo of Dr. Oz from his June 2014 testimony before the U.S. Senate.

On the left is the image that Arianna Huffington, age 64, uses on her Twitter account.  On the right is a photo of Ms. Huffington at New York Fashion Week in February 2015.

On the left is an image of the Quaker Oats Man, age 138, as shown in the corporate logo.  On the right — well, I think you get the idea.

Performers are not the only ones who conveniently forget to keep their public image up-to-date.  Take Brian Krebs,  cybersecurity expert.  His website banner photo calls to mind a dashing and intrepid investigator of computer crime.  But on television, we see a 43-year-old soccer dad.

Let’s not forget politicians.  One of the photos at right shows how Senator Barbara Boxer of California, age 74, looks today, and the other photo — from her website — is how she looked in 1998 or thereabouts.  You may guess which is which, no special committee hearings needed here.

Many motivational speakers make a living talking about self-confidence, including Brian Tracy.  The image on the left shows the confident-looking Mr. Tracy, now 71, as seen on his Google Plus profile.  The photo on the right shows Mr. Tracy at one of his workshops, back in 2011.

I don’t buy the notion that these examples are oversights, a result of just being slow on the draw to update promotional materials.  No, the images presented to us are chosen to make the person-product look younger than his or her actual age and thereby appear more vital, appealing and credible.  Using outdated images is a manipulation, one that is hardly more ethical than the more-frequently-criticized overuse of Photoshop.

I have nothing against people wanting to look their best in public and taking pride in their appearance.  But what we see here are examples of personal branding by identiposers, not personal pride.

I am not a celebrity or businessperson.  I have not used my image to brand my blog — what a mistake that would be! —  but in fairness, by not having posted my photo here, I could be accused of leaving too much to the reader’s imagination.  So, in the spirit of self-disclosure, I am sharing a photo of me taken earlier this year.  It’s the first selfie I ever did, using the first smartphone I ever owned, and it will likely be the last.

This brings to mind a morbid topic: what photo is appropriate for one’s own obituary?  Must it show how I looked in my later years or may it be from any point in my lifetime?  I don’t know what photo I would pick, but you can be sure it will show me with more hair on my head.

Carly Fiorina says that her business acumen, exemplified by her aborted tenure as the CEO of Hewlett-Packard, is qualification enough for her to be elected President of the United States.  But what do we really know about Ms. Fiorina beyond her own claims of expertise?  For the answer, I welcome you to this week’s episode of Carly or Not, Here I Come!, the blatantly political NPR game show hosted by me, a legend in my own domain, which seems to be the only qualification for NPR game show hosts.

I will present a number of statements to our esteemed but obscure panelists — they will have to decide, for each statement, was it Carly or not?  Today, our panel of humorists, comedians and writers not quite photogenic enough to appear on CBS Sunday Morning will be playing on behalf of Ms. Kate Middleton of Cambridge, England.  If our panelists come up with three or more correct answers, Ms. Middleton will win Rupert Murdoch’s voice on her home answering machine.  Readers, you are welcome to play along, but your first challenge is to stay awake through the rest of the game.  So, here we finally go.

(1) “You have to master not only the art of listening to your head, you must also master listening to your heart and listening to your gut.”  Who said this — Carly Fiorina or Stephen Colbert?

(2)  “You know, I’m very proud of the large number of Hispanic endorsements that I’ve received.”  Who said this — Carly Fiorina or Jeb Bush?

(3)  “I lost my job in the most public way possible, and the press had a field day with it all over the world.  And guess what?  I’m still here.”  Who said this — Carly Fiorina or Richard Nixon?

(4) “I love being a woman.  I like dressing up; I love buying shoes.”  Who said this — Carly Fiorina or Bruce Jenner?

(5)  “We are today ready to execute.”  Who said this — Carly Fiorina or Gov. Rick Perry?

And finally, here is your Bonus Question.  “I think what’s fascinating is how many people are playing in politics who maybe haven’t played before.”  Who said this — Carly Fiorina or… Carly Fiorina?

While we total up the scores — while pretending that Carly Fiorina is not the obvious answer to every question — let me remind you that Carly or Not, Here I Come! is a co-production of NPR and The 100 Billionth Person, reader-supported radio.

This is NPR.