I am doing option number 2 for a close reading of an everyday object.
One thing that I am sure all of us use at least once, if not many times a day is a mirror. Mirrors are everywhere, in the bathrooms, in your room, on cars, inside purses and at clothing departments, etc. While we use the mirror to see if an outfit matches together or to simply see if we have anything stuck in our teeth before a date, we do not think that a mirror is an important object that we use everyday, from the moment we wake up to the time we go to sleep. It is just there waiting to be looked at. We use the mirror to evaluate ourselves, to see if we are "okay" enough not to be laughed at and to make sure that we do not embarrass ourselves with something stuck on the back of our pants. We also use it to see if we are fit or skinny enough. Like in Susan Bordo's of women and their body image, a lot of what we see in the mirror tells us what we need to do. If we look ourselves in the mirror and see ourselves as being a little overweight, we would try to fix it. But many times, those who often see themselves as being overweight might become bulimic or anorexic. In their eyes and in the mirrors, they see themselves as fat and that image staring back at them may cause them to do harmful things to themselves. We do not really think and process the things that a mirror may influence us to do but it does. One would want to present themselves in a fashionably manner and a mirror just might be the object that all of us maybe cannot be without for a day because what we see in the mirror is how we think others will see us as. And so, the mirror is an everyday object that we see as small but makes a big difference in how we and others see ourselves.
Karen,
ReplyDeleteI really like how you chose a mirror. I didn't quite notice how much I use a mirror daily to look at the things I do, and how I use other things as a mirror, like windows or display cases or photo frames; not just myself but I notice people using them as well. Your comment about how we use the mirrors too evaluate ourselves is a great way of saying it!
Thanks Alexandra,
ReplyDeleteYes, I do actually use other things as a mirror too but I didn't know how to write it down here or I could not think of the words to say when it was so simple!
This is a really creative choice and I agree with the connection to Bordo's argument. When I first read this post, though, I thought of its relationship to David Foster Wallace's claim that television is like a mirror by reflecting generic/normal societal values and ideals. This might be a stretch, but it seems like we use mirrors to evaluate our looks in order to make them more socially acceptable (because a mismatching outfit or food in your teeth usually makes you stand out from the crowd!) Like how television reflects what we consider and desire to be “norms” about society, mirrors allow us to physically critique ourselves so that we represent our desired values/norms.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything that has been previously said. It's so true, people use mirrors so much (especially us women). I think people also look at themselves whenever they see there reflections too, like when you walk past a window. But yeah, I have 3 mirrors in my room which seems kind of ridiculous but we all use them so much so that we know exactly what we look like at all times.
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing how much people use the mirror! I think this goes for guys as well! It would be interesting to see what the world would be like if there were no mirrors. I think it would change many aspects of people's daily lives. Maybe people would even be less judgmental and society as a whole would be more at ease about the small things in life.
ReplyDeleteI too agree with what this post and the responses are saying. MIrrors perpetuate self esteem and the way people identify themselves alongside others. In public places, I feel it is not uncommon to look in a mirror and compare yourself to another person who is standing and staring at the same mirror. This complicates our views of self and others, and the abundance of mirrors- in public and private realms- reveals a sort of obsession with our images.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Courtney. I think that it would be very interesting to see the quality of our society without mirrors, but then again what is the quality of it like now with mirrors? it is very judgmental and comparative and i feel in many negative about self image due to the presence of so many mirrors and reflections of self image.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that it is mirrors that cause troubled thoughts or a negative self image. beauty is subjective and it is all about how one perceives themselves. I think people have to stop worrying about how other people view them. Mirrors might reflect the self-image but it does not dictate how a person is supposed to feel.
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