See How Beautiful You Really Are is Dove’s latest marketing campaign and I have to say I’m pretty impressed.  They invited FBI trained artist Gil Zamora to draw real women based on their descriptions of themselves.

He then drew the same person based on another individual’s descriptions.

What they found is that the two pictures were extremely different.  The women were different ages and had not met previously.

At the end of the experiment Zamora asked the women, “So do you think you are prettier than you give yourself credit for?”

All of the women answered yes.

The message was to illustrate that women are their own worst critics.

The definition of beauty has changed over the years, and unfortunately, it seems like that definition has changed for the worse instead of the better.

Marilyn Monroe was an actress who was considered a blonde bombshell wanted by every man.

Monroe was a size 14. According to today’s standards, she would be considered overweight.

Beauty is not solely based on weight or looks. Haven’t you ever noticed that some of the prettiest women also looks the happiest?

Beauty is how you act towards others, and it should be a direct correlation to your self-confidence.

Unfortunately, it seems like media has made us think that we have to be tall and super thin in order to be as beautiful. In fact, I’ve heard girls who point out flaws or what they didn’t do when they receive a compliment. How crazy is that?

Rather than accepting the compliment with a smile, girls naturally say something to tear themselves them down.

I think what Dove did is a brilliant idea and something that everyone, not just women, need to remember. Everyone is different, but those differences add up to what makes you unique and beautiful.

The people who are happy and truly confident in their skin are the people who best emulate the true meaning of beauty. How you view yourself affects every aspect of your life.

So I propose a challenge. Instead of focusing on how to make yourself more beautiful, figure out how to make yourself a happier person. If you can figure that out, everything else will follow.