This video points out a sad truth: we are our own worst critics.  I think this is particularly applicable to body image.  But, like everything out there, this video must be taken with a grain of salt.  The women describe their own facial features using words like fat and round, which are then seen in the video as the more negative traits. More "beautiful" features are clearly described as thin, blue eyed, etc - in other words, descriptions that reinforce the currently warped standard of beauty.  The video doesn't do much to challenge this, but I do think it reveals a darker side of self-criticism that is important to discuss.  

It's actually not surprising that the women in the video describe themselves as less "beautiful" than they actually are.  Women are constantly inundated by images in advertising that try to convince women as a whole that we aren't beautiful if we don't put a lot of work - and money - into our physical appearance.  We constantly get the message that we are never beautiful enough.  Quite confusing really, when women are simultaneously taught that our value lies in our beauty.  Overwhelmed yet? I sure am.  

But despite all that, the big takeaway for me is to make a conscious effort to love myself a little more! When I die, people aren't going to care about what I looked like.  Hopefully they'll remember what I did, and how I made them feel.  

Here's a Tolstoy quote to wrap this up (yup, I went there):

image via http://slckismet.blogspot.com/