Does your teen have a mirror in their room?

[HowToTeach]

Thinking of re-doing the wardrobes for DS(14) and DD(12) and wondering if we should put a mirror door on. At the moment we have two mirrored cabinets above the sinks in the bathroom & toilet and a full length in the hall between the bedrooms.
Do yours? Would you? If they have one, would you rather they didn't have one? Does it increase or reduce problems with body image etc.

2 dc no (didn't want them), 1 dc has (long length but inside wardrobe door).

Dd's share a room and both have a mirror of their own (age 10&12). Dd1 didn't want dd 2 going near her side of the room or on her bed. The small mirror I use isn't goo enough for doing their hair apparently. Dd1 spends about 5 minutes maxon her hair, dd2 would spend an hour if we let her. They both have lights around the outside, and are not full length mirrors.

Do you actually worry about that?

Both of mine have a freestanding full length mirror with storage for jewellery/perfume/aftershave etc which is useful and a smaller mirror. We also have a massive mirror in the hallway. No body issues.

@Freakinfraser Do you actually worry about that? yes because it happened to my great aunt!

Of course.
The slim full length ones on wardrobe doors. Unbreakable ikea plastic mirrors.

I think you are over thinking this.

Yes. My 13-year-old daughter does - a full length mirror on her wardrobe and a Hollywood mirror on her dressing table. Otherwise she would spend forever in the bathroom

In my old house all three bedrooms had inbuilt wardrobes with sliding mirrored doors (about the only thing I really miss about the house, the storage was amazing), so the DC had them from birth essentially.

We moved when they were 12, 10 and 6 and only the main bedroom had a wardrobe with mirrored doors. I think DD1 had a mirror when she was 13, DD2 11 and ds now at 16 probably doesn't even know what mirrors exist for.

Well, do they want one?

At that age, it seems weird that you're "thinking of redoing their wardrobes" and asking us from our thoughts before the teens in question have seemingly heard about it!

Anyway, it seems very normal to me, for a teen to have a mirror in their room. Won't it just cause a pile-up at the bathroom or hall otherwise?

My teens don’t but are forever in my room using mine so considering otherwise soon!

Plus having a big long mirror will make the room appear bigger. 👍

Had to buy mine ones to hang over their wardrobe doors - full length - because they kept just wandering into my room to use my full length mirror. Not sure eldest uses hers much though - she knows what she likes to wear and wears it and never really checks herself in the mirror. She still wanders to my room. Youngest uses hers.
Never really dawned on me not to let them have mirrors. We all need to make sure we look presentable. No body image issues. But also very little are from one. lol.

When I first read this I thought ofc they need a mirror then I remember being 14 and looking at my stomach in the mirror deciding if it was flat enough for me to deserve dinner. I have a toddler atm so a while off teens but it never would have occurred to me to not have a full length mirror in her room. So food for thought thank you.

Sorry no help they're hopefully in a much better place than I was x

@HowToTeach Apologies if I'm not the first to suggest it as I haven't read the full thread, but you could put a mirror on the inside of the wardrobe door as a compromise. You can buy full length stick-on.mirrors from hardware stores like B&Q or Homebase.

I work with teen girls and specialise in ED and body dysmorphia. Yes, the vast majority will have no issues at all but there are substantiated links between ED BD and mirrors. Why do they need one specifically in their room. It can cause obsession and hyper focus. A family one in the hall is suffice. This article will explain the pros and cons. In essence, if there’s one in the room. It can encourage obsessional behaviour so a ‘communal’ one is preferred : www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/the-binge-eating-prevention-plan/202306/do-mirrors-help-or-harm-eating-disorder-recovery?amp