Spieglein, Spieglein, an der Wand

ALRIGHT LETS TALK ABOUT MIRRORS! Like anyone else I have a tentative relationship with this invention. However, once Christopher mentioned the creation of them I got very interested. And after a bit of research I learned a bunch about them! So apparently mirrors were invented in Germany in 1835, by a scientist named Justus von Liebig. He applied a thin layer of metallic silver to the side of a piece of glass and thus the mirror was created. However, at the start of their production, not many were widely available. Mirrors were among the highest delicacies, that only the wealthiest elites had privy to. 

Prior to this people only had glimpses of their appearance in reflective surfaces such as a spoon or a shiny piece of jewelry. Therefore the creation of the mirror brought forth this new idea of sense of ones self, which I believe has greatly impacted the world today. We now have a tool that will tell us how others perceive us. 

I mean nowadays in the age of social media and EVERYONE caring way too much about what they look like or how they are perceived by others, it is impossible to imagine a world where mirrors did not exist. And I mean yes, this invention was an insanely revolutionary and brilliant idea, but I think that it has impacted the world in ways that Justus von Liebig could have never seen coming. 

I care a lot about my appearance. I think that it’s fun to be able to experiment with different ways of changing yourself and being able to look into the mirror and see this change. However I feel like recently mirrors have been controlling my life a little too much. I walked by a store one day and on the window a sign read: “please don’t use this store window to check your appearance”. Immediately I laughed, I realized they were so right. Every reflective surface I use to get a glimpse at myself, whether that be with vain or just simply curious intentions behind it, I am always assessing how I am being perceived to other people. 

I think that as an actor this has really become a big part of my life. The way you look is something that is taken in by the audience when you are a performer, there is no denying that. Like they mentioned in Creation, the audience (for whatever reason) is attracted to specific actors onstage because of what they look like. 

So maybe it’s just me, but being an actor I’ve always been conscious of what I look like. What the audience is seeing. But I wonder what would happen if I didn’t know. If mirrors never existed, how would that affect me. Yes, the audience would still be able to judge my appearance, but I would never be able to. I would never truly know what I look like. I wonder if it would take some pressure off, because I wouldn’t have the urge or means to change my appearance in order to appease an audience. 

Anyways moral of the story, I am appreciative for what mirrors have done for me thus far, but sadly I believe that our relationship is taking a quick break for now. I want to rediscover what kind of actor, artist and person I am without the constrains of mirrors! :)