This Emotional Dove Video Proves Even Chic French Women Feel Fat

This morning, my (gorgeous) best friend and I stared at our reflections in the gym locker room, rattling off comments about our looks. "I'm so pale — no foundation shade ever makes me look better." "My face is puffy." "That class did nothing for my love handles." We sounded a lot like Regina, Gretchen, and company during that famous self-bashing mirror scene from Mean Girls. And I know we're not the only women out there who don't talk to ourselves positively. Our inner dialogues about beauty can be detrimental to our self-images.

Dove realized this, too, and decided to shed light on the global issue with a new viral video. The beauty brand asked a handful of stunning French women to write down every thought they had about themselves. They jotted down negative comments like "I feel ugly" and "I have two baby teeth . . . when I smile, I look like a mouse." This all leaves me wondering, if French women (who are considered to be the epitome of effortlessly pretty) feel bad about their looks, then what's a common American girl to think?

But as I kept watching, I learned we're all just the same. And we all have a lot to overcome. Next, Dove invited the women back for coffee. There, they overheard a conversation between two undercover actresses: one was tearing the other apart — repeating back what the women wrote about themselves in their journals. The actress scolded the other on everything from her fine facial lines to her large thighs and, yes, those baby teeth. It was horrifying for everyone around them listening. One onlooker said, "I hope my daughter never speaks to herself like that." The message behind this sneaky experiment: if it's not acceptable to say to someone else, why say it to yourself? Thank you, Dove.

Watch Dove's One Beautiful Thought campaign video above!