Mirrors – a girl’s best friend or worst enemy? We’ve all ventured into a dressing room and felt like the walking dead; fluorescent lights and a bad mirror can make you look terrible. On the opposite end of the spectrum, some retail stores have installed “skinny mirrors” and dim lighting in order to increase sales and satisfy their customers. So do these so-called “skinny mirrors” actually exist? Many Bowdoin ladies believe so, and claim there are some right here on campus.
Perhaps the most infamous skinny mirror on campus is the Thorne Dining Hall bathroom. Phoebe ’16 elaborates, “I like the Thorne Mirror the best. Even after Sunday Sundae I still look half my size.” Jenni ’13 agrees; “The Thorne full length mirror in the girl’s bathroom is almost as good as my skinny mirror in my room…I love it. Especially after eating a large meal.” While the Thorne mirror is a favorite, Kyrie ’13 divulges, “My least favorite mirror is probably one of the older ones like the public restroom on the 2nd floor of the tower because it’s uneven and has an orangey brown tint to the glass” and Sandra ’13 reveals that her least favorite mirrors “are probably the ones in Searles bathrooms..because I can’t get a close up view of myself nor a full body shot view.” Though the Searles bathrooms may not be a favorite, the Smith Union first floor mirror has been citied as a preference because the tilt allows for a full view of your outfit.
Whether it’s in Thorne or Smith, we all have our favorite mirror that makes us feel like a million bucks – the question is, is this slightly skewed perception of reality actually a good thing? Elizabeth Gatlin, a real estate and design expert, believes so. She explained to her sister that, “she needed to invest in skinny mirrors if she also wanted to invest in herself”, because she “is a strong believer in using your environment as a reflection of self to change your life.” Tracey Lomrantz Lester, a writer for Glamour Magazine, on the other hand, has a completely opposing view of skinny mirrors, particularly in dressing rooms; “Don’t we women have enough body image issues to deal with in a dressing room without worrying if those extra squats are actually paying off, or whether it’s just a store’s sneaky way to try and get us to part with our hard-earned money?” Stores including Forever 21, Ann Taylor Loft, and Old Navy have all been reported to use skinny mirrors in their dressing rooms. For those of you who oppose the use of skinny mirrors, I guess that means you just have to get used to it.
Sources:
http://elizabethgatlin.com/experience-design/the-allure-of-a-skinny-mirror/
http://www.glamour.com/fashion/blogs/slaves-to-fashion/2010/07/a-quick-rant-dressing-room-mir.html