How are you feeling today – Beautiful or Average? It is not always a clean cut question and the answer often depends on how you feel about your physical appearance. I for one didn’t manage to even brush my hair this morning and I just threw on a pair of leggings and a jumper – thus I rated myself average. At dinner on Saturday evening though, I had been to gym, was trying out my new blue mascara, and was tottering around in killer heels. This made me feel beautiful.

However, this morning I came across a Dove film which has made me re-think my attitude. They advocate that beauty stretches far deeper than just physical appearance and we all have exceptional qualities that makes us uniquely beautiful. It is not always an easy thing to do but being confident in ourselves is what makes our unique beauty radiate through. In the video, two signs are erected above two side-by-side doorways. Above one was the word Beautiful, above the other, the word Average. Women then had to choose a doorway they felt comfortable with.

The Dove Choose Beautiful film captures real women in San Francisco, Shanghai, Delhi, London, and Sao Paolo considering about their own beauty. The women made a choice about the way they see themselves: ‘average’ versus the frequently avoided ‘beautiful.’  The film reveals that women often struggle with recognizing their own beauty.

Stats show that a record 96% of women wouldn’t choose the world ‘beautiful’ to describe themselves.

It’s time women thought about this choice differently.

Feeling beautiful is a personal choice and women should feel empowered to feel good about themselves everyday. If you think you are beautiful you are not announcing to the world that you are a supermodel. Unfortunately we’ve been brought up to perceive thinking you’re beautiful is vain. It’s not. Feeling beautiful changes your whole attitude and outlook towards life. We radiate Happiness and Confidence when we feel good about ourselves. You know that old saying of how you have to love yourself before you can love another? It’s true. So go on and call yourself beautiful.

Dove wants to encourage women to reconsider the choices they make about their beauty and how those choices make them feel through their #ChooseBeautiful campaign. Beauty should be a source of confidence, not anxiety, they say.

Paul Dektor, who directed the Dove Choose Beautiful film, said that “while we were filming, it was so clear that the women who chose to feel beautiful shined with a positive, empowered outlook”.

We all have the personal and powerful ability to rise above others’ points of view, social media, and pop culture.

Feeling beautiful is a personal power that we have every day, so be your own superhero and use it. Go have a look at the @Dove Tumblr page and follow it for tips and inspiration and believe in #ChooseBeautiful.

I will think twice about walking though the Average door again and stick to feeling Happy and Confident and Beautiful.