DEAR Jasminda,

A friend visited recently and said how much she loved our bathroom mirror because it made her look much thinner.

Does this mean that I’ve been under a false illusion about my own weight?

Gillian W.

Dear Gillian,

There is so much variation in mirrors.

The mirrors in shops that sell swimwear, for example, would have to be the most unflattering mirrors in existence.

They have bright lights and no space to move around, so it is impossible to view how you look from the back.

The mirrors in Optometrists seem very flattering, but that may be because you try on the frames without your script-specific lenses.

When you pick up the same frames fitted with their proper lenses, you realise just how deluded your poor vision has made you.

It’s a harsh reality.

Very harsh.

Glancing sideways into a mirror makes you appear bigger than you are.

Glancing into your phone when the reverse camera setting is in place makes you look like Jabba the Hut.

There is so much variation in our reflection, that it’s hard to know what we really look like.

Photos can distort our image too, so in some photos we look fairly decent, and in others we look like a hot mess.

Maybe your friend has a mirror that is particularly unflattering due to a number of factors including the lighting and angle.

It’s what’s on the inside that counts, anyway.

If you are a kind and loving person, you will always look beautiful to those who really matter.

Carpe diem,
Jasminda.