Are You Average or Beautiful? Dove Wants You to Choose Beautiful

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Would you describe yourself as beautiful? According to Dove, 96 percent of women wouldn't. In order to get a closer look at this shocking statistic, the brand headed to five global cities — San Francisco, Shanghai, Delhi, London, and São Paulo — to capture women considering their own beauty. For the new Choose Beautiful campaign, Dove set up signs above the entrances of side-by-side double doors — one doorway declared "Beautiful" while the other was marked "Average." Nearly all of the women walking through chose the "Average" doors. But why? "Beautiful to me is too out of reach," explained one woman. "I chose average."

Another participant thought her choice might have been influenced by society's beauty standards. "Am I choosing because of what's constantly bombarded at me and what I'm being told that I should accept?" she queried. "Or am I choosing because that's what I really believe?" The women who chose average reported feeling bad about themselves afterward, but those who picked beautiful felt quite differently. "It was quite a triumphant feeling," said one. "It was like telling the world that I think I'm beautiful." By challenging yourself to recognize your own beauty, you can positively affect not just your day but your self-image. Watch the video above, and then ask yourself: which door would you choose?