Dove posted on Monday a three-minute ad on YouTube that teaches a vital lesson about how we view ourselves compared to how others see us. Trust us, it's worth your time.

A former forensic artist for the San Jose police department met a series of women and asked each to describe the way they look. He had no way of seeing them behind a curtain. He prompted them to detail everything: hair length, facial structure, their most prominent features. He then sketched each participant from their self-description.

Each woman was asked before the study to get to know one of the other participants. The forensic artist then prompted each woman to describe the other's face.

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At the end of the video, the artist reveals two sketches — one from the participant itself, one from their partner. The differences are remarkable.

We won't ruin the effect for you, but we'll leave you with this comment from Dove posted below the video:

"Women are their own worst beauty critics," Dove says. "Only 4% of women around the world consider themselves beautiful ... we decided to conduct a compelling social experiment that explores how women view their own beauty in contrast to what others see."

What do you make of the video? Let us know in the comments below.

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Image courtesy of YouTube, doveunitedstates