"I Am Ugly": Powerful YouTube video shows why you shouldn't hate your flaws

The image of a woman looking in the mirror and criticizing what she sees is so familiar, it's almost a cliche. But this powerful video from YouTuber Rachel Levin flips the trope and throws it into a startling light.

The video starts with a woman staring at herself in the mirror, rattling off a list of complaints about her body.

Mic/YouTube

That is, until a version of her younger self appears, demanding that she say the insults straight to her child self's face.

Mic/YouTube

But the woman can't tear down the little girl.

Mic/YouTube

The message is clear. 

When you imagine saying the bad things you think about your body aloud to your younger self, they suddenly seem a whole lot crueler. 

"If you wouldn't say it to yourself when you were little, then why would you say it to yourself now?" the video asks.

YouTube

In the description of the video on YouTube, Levin explained that she had been wanting to make this "for a while," and urged followers to share the video "with whoever needs it."

Watch the whole video below: