Mirror on the wall

Photograph by Hannah Schultz

A mirror can represent many things. Besides a diary, it's the ultimate object of self-reflection! Most of us use mirrors to help modify our appearance with makeup and products. And we all have some kind of dependence on knowing what we look like. (Can you imagine not knowing?) In an attempt to detach herself from this dependence, my friend Lisa told me she wants to shave off all of her hair. At first I was like, "Uh...what?!" But then she explained, "I've been thinking a lot about how to simplify my life. We put so much emphasis on our appearance, and I am not immune to that. But the most beautiful people I know are the ones who have let go of caring what people see on the outside. When you're able to let go of that, I think that you become truly beautiful, inside and out."

Not only do I completely agree with her, but I see her choice as a powerful revolt against the norm. This norm being that girls need long hair in order to be feminine and pretty. And we all feed into these ideals, these standards of what supposedly looks "good."

Photograph of/by Hannah Schultz

Whether or not I like to admit it, I have a dependence on my appearance. But sometimes, I feel extremely detached from what I look like. Because really, what choice did I have in the structure of my face, the color of my hair, any of it? We were all born into this world with predetermined looks, and we are all judged based on these looks. And as much makeup as I put on, as much as I change my hairstyle, I'm still going to look like me.

It also should be mentioned that because of this societal obsession with appearance, some severe body image issues can (and often do) develop. This last week was "Body Image Awareness Week" at UP. One topic they focused on was the prevalence of eating disorders in our society. According to statistics that can be found on the Peer Health Educator's Facebook page, nearly 7 million girls and 1 million boys are suffering from eating disorders. Furthermore, fifty to seventy percent of normal-weighted women believe they are overweight, and forty-one percent of men are dissatisfied with their bodies. These statistics shouldn't be too surprising, because body image issues are talked about more than ever before, but hopefully they still hold some kind of significance. Just because we know the statistics, we shouldn't become immune or complacent with how things are.

The thing is, when we look in the mirror, some part of us is probably criticizing what we see. As our own worst critics, it's so easy to find something to fix, something to change, something we don't feel is good enough.

With all of that said, I dare you to not look in the mirror for a day (or as long as you can). See how you feel, and see how deep your dependence on appearance really is. And when you do look in the mirror, remember that there is more to you than your predetermined face, your hair, and how trendy your outfit may be. Chances are, you look better than a mirror could ever really show.