Mirrors

What would life be like without mirrors? Very, very different. Of course there are different ways people would be able to look at themselves; puddles like in the movie Tarzan, or in glass windows. But without mirrors, would people have less motivation to look at themselves all the time?

When people get ready in the mornings they look in the mirror to do their makeup, or to check their clothes or teeth. Whenever people walk by a reflective surface they have a tendency to look over just to see themselves as they're walking, just to make sure. Typically girls (although a lot of guys do it too) will go into the bathroom, do their business, and then look in the mirror as they are washing their hands to make sure they look okay, and fix whatever they deem not good enough.

Once at school people taped a poster covering the mirror saying things like, "You are beautiful". They did this to encourage people to, for at least that day, not look in the mirror, not check their appearance, and just go about their day not worrying about how good or bad they looked. It didn't work though, and people tore off the poster, or at least enough of it to be able to look at themselves in the mirror. They thought the poster was stupid, and that they should have the freedom to look at themselves in the mirror when they want to.

Would people worry less about what they looked like if there were no mirrors? Would people be judged less? Or more? Would they be judged more so on their actions and personality rather than what they are wearing or what their hair looks like? What would advertisements be like? These questions are hard to answer, as appearances are a huge part of society and our everyday lives.(313)