by Rachel Lamb, staff reporter
Most mornings, I follow a very regular routine — I wake up, hit the snooze button on my alarm clock a few times, drag myself to the bathroom, and then spend time looking at the person staring back at me in the mirror. So on a Monday morning, when I walked into the bathroom at sleep-away camp and found the mirrors covered in paper and plastered with inspirational quotes about confidence as a part of Mirrorless Monday, I was surprised. I was also, to be honest, slightly annoyed. Here was another campaign to tell people to remember they are beautiful, and to be happy and feel confident: the type of overused campaign I normally brush off and ignore, despite the good message. Yet, this simple idea of Mirrorless Monday caused me to think in a new way about the (almost cliché) topic of insecurities and the way we view each other.
My first reaction to Mirrorless Monday was probably similar to other people’s reactions. I sighed, looked for cracks in the paper (they had done a very solid job of covering the mirrors) and went about my morning routine of getting ready using friends as mirrors and judgment. I was surprised that, as the day continued, people did not feel less confident because they could not check to see if their hair looked OK. Rather, in many ways, I could see my friends become more confident. Mirrorless Monday was different from other activities that try to help build confidence because my friends could no longer focus on their own imperfections in the mirror. Instead they were forced look past whatever features they were insecure about. They spent less time looking at themselves, and more time interacting with each other.
Mirrorless Monday showed that when we are not focused on our insecurities about our appearance, we become more comfortable with others and are able to interact more freely. Other people’s appearances influence how comfortable we are interacting with them and the way we view them. If we think someone is better looking than ourselves, it becomes harder to interact with them as equals because we are constantly comparing ourselves to them. Once we are more confident with ourselves, we can stop comparing and focus on their characters.
Mirrorless Monday not only enhanced people’s confidence, but proved how influential people’s confidence levels are in their daily lives. Confidence can play a huge role in life and in any type of relationship. Humans judge others based, in part, on how sure and poised a person acts. If a person is more confident, other people will listen and have more respect for that person. While overconfident people can be incredibly full of themselves, having too little confidence can affect friendships and hinder people’s success.
Humans are really good at looking into mirrors and finding what they think are imperfections. We then try to cover up these “imperfections.” We focus on them and compare ourselves to others. If people can become more confident, they will not only feel better, but will be interact with other people more easily. Not everyone may have the same reaction to Mirrorless Monday, but hopefully everyone sees the value of confidence. Even if the message of looking beneath appearance seems cliché, it is still an important idea to share.
