What do you see when you look in the mirror?
What are your thoughts as you stare back at your very own reflection? Kind? Harsh?
Considerate? Perplexed? Accepting? Shamed? Happy? Unhappy?
Considerate? Perplexed? Accepting? Shamed? Happy? Unhappy?
I love Mondays. I love them because there are usually a gaggle of fresh new magazines waiting for me at the newsagent. Magazines are most certainly my weakness.
Yesterday the new Notebook Magazine hit the shelves. I nabbed it up first thing in the morning and managed to read one article last night. It was titled: What do you see when you look in the mirror?
Just the title had my mind ticking over. What DO I think when I look in the mirror? Hmm…
A study in 2005 in the UK found that 80% of women aged over 18 were unhappy with what they saw when they looked in the mirror.
That’s some very sad statistics when you think about it, aren’t they? Eighty percent is a big chunk of us. Literally?
In reality, body image is not what we see in the mirror, but how we perceivewhat
we see in the mirror. It’s the subtle distinction but it has an enormouseffect
when it comes to evaluating ourselves. And although body image should beabout
more than just weight and shape, typically that is what most women limitit to,
primarily because it’s something they think they can control, saysProfessor
Tiggerman. This, along with the fact many women are striving toachieve an
unrealistic weight, can lead to a life of unhappiness anddisappointment. Notebook Magazine, June 2009.
I remember before our wedding I had a personal trainer and I trained with him in the gym a few days a week. We’d run on the beach, but each day always involved some weights or cardio in the gym. Now, it’s pretty standard for gyms to have floor to ceiling mirrors. That’s normal. People work out in front of them. That’s also very normal.
I couldn’t do it. My trainer would place me in front of the mirror. For about six months I wouldn’t look at myself. I’d stare at the floor, or back at my trainer through the reflection, but never at myself. If I caught a glimpse of myself I felt ill and queasy.
One day I decided to face my fears and look at myself. It was okay. I watched myself lifting weights. Not the most attractive thing I’d seen, but I didn’t feel so sick once I kept watching my reflection. It was a real shift.
Now when I catch a glimpse at my reflection I am back at square one. I move away as quickly as my body will take me. Especially if it’s a full length mirror. Shop windows? Ergh.
I am definitely one of the 80% mentioned above. I know I’ll get back to that place I was once in. I do love myself and appreciate my very being, but I need to have a very good talk with my reflection.
You can read more in the latest Notebook Mag. There also some tips on how to like what you see.
I’d love to hear What You See When You Look In The Mirror. Please share. xx
Image: Flickr
My first response when I look in the mirror is to look away. But I usually fight it. I don’t like looking at myself in the mirror for too long because I usually end up severely berating myself.
My gym also has ceiling to floor mirrors. When I’m running on the treadmill I use those mirrors to my advantage. This is going to sound vain but I stare at myself right in the eyes and use it to push myself. It helps me to focus and helps me remember what I’m there trying to achieve.
I’ll check out my reflection in a mall window and be pleasantly surprised that I don’t look as fat/ginormous as I think I do in my head or I’ll hold my breath in a bit if I think my tummy’s sticking out too much. Or I’ll think hey I look cute today. I think I’ve finally learnt to accept myself and not keep focusing on my negative aspects.
It’s fashion magazines, 90210/gossip girl and skimpily dressed girls at clubs that me feel like crap about my body so I usually avoid those.
Leila that doesn’t sound the least bit vain!! 🙂
Chantelle, I am right with you. I see a personal trainer twice a week and when she places me in front of the mirror I either stand side on, to avoid it, or look at my feet while I do whatever exercise she wants me to do!
I do have a long history with poor body image/ eating disorder etc… and I am working on this right now, but it is BLOODY hard. Bad body image is such a horrible way to live your life from day to day! Acceptance is the key!
Here’s to seeing our beautiful souls when we look in that mirror and looking beyond any physical “faults” that we may be imagining.
x
generally i don’t have a problem looking in the mirror, unless it’s first thing in the morning.
i have always wanted to be one of thse people that get up in the morning, run a brush through their hair and look fab for the rest of the day. yet i look in the mirror and reach for the foundation, bronzer, ghd etc ….
i also have to agree about the fashion mags and young girls, they always make me feel very self concious and wish i was 10 years younger!!!
hmm i think i’m in the minority. i’m happy with the way i look. i accepted it a while back by focusing on the positive side of the things that would challenge me or annoy me as a kid: my freckles keep me young and remind me of my fun childhood, the wispy new hair growing back and that i can’t do anything with is regrowth following the hair loss that comes with having my beautiful baby; the slight flab from lack of exercise stops me looking too skinny…
when i look in the mirror – and even if i’m just washing my hands, i do – i usually find that i smile at myself. i feel a little silly and it’s not because i’m conceited that i do this, but because a smile looks so much better than a blank face, it will usually get a smile in return and it’s hard to see or focus on anything negative when you look happy…
Right now, I look in the mirror and see my growing baby belly and I love myself!
If I’m honest usually I would do that little critical thing…..could afford to lose a few pounds, need to pluck eyebrows, where the heck did those wrinkles come from etc…but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more accepting of my body and on the whole I’m happy in my skin!
Nice topic!
When I look in the mirror I try and see my good points, I like my hair some days and the colour of my eyes, but full length mirrors make me feel so very unworthy and ashamed of myself, particularly when I am standing next to a slim girl. I have recently lost 8.5 kgs of baby weight but want to get down to my wedding day weight which means I have another 9.5kgs to go. Pump & step classes at the gym are helping but its a slow process! I can say that I am happy looking in the mirror when I am on my own, but when I am standing next to someone and compare, I am not happy with myself at all…
I’m definitely critical when I look in the mirror – but I won’t look away.
My thoughts lately turn to frown lines and botox or fillers. I almost have myself convinced to do it and my sister talks me out of it every time. I love my sister!
a very interesting question….I am not as critical as I think I probably could be…I think it’s more about what I don’t see….like I don’t see my massive scar that goes from ear to ear…that is my testiment to winning against cancer…for some reason…I just don’t notice it anymore…
When i look in the mirror, I am happy with what I see. Of course there are things that i would change…but now i focus on my good parts.
After having a baby something changed. Now when i look in the mirror I see someone who really wants to make something of myself, find my passions in life…before i was more concerned about appearance, making money and going out.
I see a young woman who most days hasn’t had enough sleep and really needs to dye her hair. These days I’m very happy with what I see when I look in the mirror.I have had two kids and while my body has changed so have I. I think it’s all about positive thinking and putting it into action.
Your an amazingly beautiful mumma chantelle and one day you will see that too.
I see a completely changing frame that used to be me. I love my curves but used to fret about my weight. Now I’m pregnant I’m loving my curves even more. I do worry about how I will view my body against other new mothers once LM is born… but I’ll deal with that when and if I get there 🙂
Thank you so much for all your honest accounts.
I hope one day I can be like those that appreciate who you are and where you’ve been. xx
Good question. I see someone who needs to make more of an effort in pretty much all aspects of life and self. I am not happy to accept myself as I am these days and I really want to find more energy to improve myself inside and out.
I try not to look at all, to be honest. That’s a bit sad isn’t it?!
At the moment I am not very happy when I look in the mirror 🙁 – I am overweight and need to lose about 11kgs. Before I got pregnant I was happy looking into the mirror, so I hope that can happen again soon. I am on my way, I have lost 12kgs so far, another 11 to go!
By the way may I ask which magazines you buy monthly?
Elizabeth Saxe Coburg-Gotha is an evil woman, why do we slave away at work our whole lives for money with her face on