2/25/11

Mirror, Mirror

By Romina Sharm
On the Wall . . . 

Ever notice how women have this bazaar inability to decide what they look like?  Rather than taking a mirror at face-value (because we all know how appearances can change from mirror to mirror), we try to figure it out by comparing ourselves to other women.

This whole thing occurred to me last week, when I was out buying groceries with the boys.  I actually stopped and said: Am I the same size as that girl over there?

And Tim said: Nope.  She's way bigger than you.

I'm not sure if he said this because it is true, or because by all accounts it is the best answer to give a woman who is asking questions about her appearance.  After all, it's roughly related to that whole "does this make my butt look fat" trap.  Then again, it wasn't above twenty minutes later that Tim said a 40 oz. and 64 oz. container of apple juice were the exact same size (as estimated by sight).

Go figure.

For a brief moment, I thought it might be nice if humans could float outside their bodies in order to decide, once and for all, what they really look like.  (It shouldn't matter this much.)

Then I was reminded of a scene from one of the Harry Potter movies, in which Harry and Hermione have turned back time and are watching their future selves.  And Hermione exclaims, "Is that what my hair looks like from the back?"

And I realized, on second thought:

it's probably best not to know.

9 comments:

  1. Sweet Tim!

    Those portion size estimations are pretty tough.

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  2. I would put money on the fact that she was probably bigger than you. Just saying. :)

    I thought the comparing struggle would leave as we left teenhood...but I think it may just get worse.

    Right now I'm trying to embrace my natural beauty...as in not tanning. lol. :) So don't go get really tan or I'll be comparing myself to you!

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  3. With this weather . . . no worries about that. ;)

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  4. so true
    one thing I have always taught my daughter is that girls are catty and are always competing and not to be that way. I am one that is far from catty, I like that can make friends that are fat,skinny,tall,short,ugly(heehee) whatever but that we need to just try to make ourselves happy in our own skin.
    we are all beautiful in our own ways and I think you are BEAUTIFUL and the PRFECT weight BY THE PICTURES I have seen. those catty women out there are looking at you wishing that they had your bod and beautiful looks!

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  5. "how true that is!" lol... i suppose this is why it's always strange seeing yourself in photos, or movies... as if we're expecting to look different... and we do, to ourselves... oddly enough.

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  6. Yes I've had the same thought about wanting to step outside my body and just see what I look like once and for all. But then I think of the time I finally looked at myself from the side and thought "has my nose always looked that strange? Why didn't I ever notice that?" And then I decided yes, it's probably best that we just look in the mirror and leave it at that. I mean who knows what else we'd find to nit pick about? lol

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  7. This is interesting and related. The Echoism project, about how different your left and right sides are.

    Go here to see:
    http://ifitshipitshere.blogspot.com/2011/02/echoism-your-left-side-vs-your-right.html

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  8. Hee hee! I love it! Hermione is so right! There should be a book of Harry Potter quotes that ring true in muggle land.

    Sometimes if people mix me up with someone else I think "Hmm... Why do they think we look alike" and to me there is usually a huge difference.

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  9. I have totally thought about this before. I have always wished I could see myself through my husbands eyes! But that is also a little scary to think about :) Weird

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