We all have those days where we look in the mirror and judge ourselves harshly.
Whether it's a sudden break out of spots or the ever-present process of ageing, we're all our own worst critics.
But an inspiring Twitter thread by Alex Durog, written for her girlfriend to mark their anniversary, challenges our narrow perception of beauty.
In the heartfelt dedication, Durog explains to her girlfriend all the ways that she is beautiful that she is unlikely to see in a mirror - such as the expressions she makes in certain situations.
The thread, which has been shared thousands of times, might just make you feel better about yourself in the moments of self doubt that we all have.
She tweeted:
"You call yourself ugly but you've only seen yourself when you look at the mirror. You don't see yourself when your face lights up at the sight of a baby, ice cream, or your favorite restaurant. You don't see yourself when you smile at me for finally understanding what you're trying to say. You tell yourself you're ugly but you've never seen yourself talk about the things you love. The stars, sky, the constellations, and the universe. You don't see yourself when you're focused at the things you love doing. You never saw yourself tear up for laughing so hard or turn red after I told you something cheese. I guess that's why it's so easy for people to say they're ugly because they've never seen themselves in the smallest moments, in the ordinary, and still be beautiful. Society has taught us that there's standards when it comes to beauty when there's none. You are beautiful in your own way, remember that."
As the thread went viral, people responded saying how inspiring and impactful Durog's words are.
One user tweeted:
"I am ugly... crying while reading this. Thank you."
Another said:
"Was really sad because each day as I scroll through my timeline in Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. everyone looks so lovely and my self-esteem goes 100 feet under the ground, there's this certain standard of beauty set by the society and thank you for breaking that and making me realize this."
Another one tweeted:
"I really needed to read this. I'm full of anxiety today and it always lowered my self-esteem to have mental health issues. I'd love to put this on my wall to read it when I need it. (hopefully you won't mind)"
Excuse us, we've got something in our eye.
