Fat Mirrors / Thin Mirrors!

[otterlybonkers]

And how to tell what is a true mirror!

We have a few around the house, but I have only recently noticed how different they all seem to be. There are two square ones mounted on the wall that show a similar reflection but all of the others are different.

I didn't think it was a thing until more than a few guests mentioned the long, large one in the hall. Most stepped back in shock when catching their reflection saying 'good god I need to lose weight!'. It is admittedly a bit fairground, it squashes the head and broadens my smile

However, how to tell which is correct, and is there even such a thing? I heard that the larger a sheet of glass, the less true they are. But then I have found trueness isn't necessarily reflected in the price (if you'll excuse the pun) - as our hallway 'fat' mirror was the most expensive.

I also heard that much older mirrors were true-r, so the antique dressing table set up might be our best bet!
Well, we had a bit of fun testing them out and even managed to disagree on some of them. We are all evidently bringing our own perceptions into it, too!

You can get used to a bad mirror. I have had a 'fat' one in my bedroom for 3 years now and just go with it as I like how large it is for getting dressed. I have to admit though, I didn't know I had lost weight thanks to it's generosity, so that was a surprise.

What are your experiences of household mirrors, and how much do they impact your self perception? I think it's interesting, but do believe there's no real answer so we all gotta go with the flow.......and variations of our mirrors!

I've got a large one in my bedroom which I really need to replace as it's like being in a fairground; it's got some sort of odd distortion which means you actually change size - noticeably - as you move from left to right. My husband thought I was barking mad until I made him stand behind me and look in the mirror as I stepped from side to side, gaining and losing at least a dress size each time.

In that case, going by how things look in other mirrors I'm fairly sure the slimmer side is the true one. I blooming hope so!

haha, yes, my DP insists on using the one that makes his lockdown belly less obvious. I asked him would he not prefer a true image and he said 'why the hell would i do that???!!'
I can see his point, life is too short to NOT choose how to see oneself, unless of course one is terribly unhealthy.

He might be on to something.

Fat mirrors are the bane of my life.

I choose thin mirrors for the bedroom.

True mirrors for anywhere else in the house.

It depends on how they are mounted on the wall. I used to work in a bridal shop and all the mirrors were mounted so they were tight to the wall at the bottom and about two inches away from the wall at the top. So the reflection they gave were a bit like a selfie.

In our house i havent noticed tilt making a lot of difference. A few are tilted and they are all different, just like some on the wall.
I honestly used to think it was down to price, but apparently not.

I have one where the middle makes you look too thin and the tops squashes your skull. It's a party in here!

Lighting really affects how good you look in a mirror, especially from directly above as it erases jowls and dark circles. My bathroom mirror, with loads of warm spotlights, makes me look ten years younger than my hallway mirror. I always look to see where the lighting is around shop mirrors. Next are particularly clever with this in their changing rooms. But I agree it's also the miror itself.

I've got a thin mirror in the hallway. Bought because it fitted the space perfectly, but it's useful as a bit of a booster before I leave the house!

My mum has a "thin" mirror. I love it, takes pounds off but doesn't look noticeably distorted.

I've never understood why so many shops seem to have unflattering mirrors and lighting. I've put things back before because I've looked so crap in the changing room. I'm easily lied to and would buy if the kind mirror and nice lighting told me I looked good

I've never understood how horrific changing rooms are either, I could list the pitfalls of most of the high street stores!

I wonder though, do you think we are sort of predisposed to believe the fatter mirror over the thinner one? What if the thinner one is correct?

I also vote for a 'flexible reality' in which jowls and eye bags don't exist if we can't see them. Life is far too short for that kind of science! If one set of lighting says they are not there, I shall believe it until they reappear.