On an unexpected visit to the doctor I was sitting on the annoying table and I noticed, to my peril, that the mirror was slightly to my right. In order to see myself in the mirror I had to lean to the right and strain my neck a little.

I started to wonder, why is it annoying that I can't see the mirror? Why is it a necessity for me and others to see themselves constantly?

On picture day I stood in dismay as I watched some of my classmates standing in front of the mirror for more than five minutes. It was kind of irritating , but is it really vanity? Whenever I look in the mirror I don't stand there and think, "Wow, you're so gorgeous," and I find it hard to imagine the majority of those classmates think that either.

I think it stems from the pressure to be perfect at all times. Not to support or create stereotypes, but for the most part this pressure is put on females, which would explain why I didn't see any boys standing in front of the mirror before their picture. I think it also comes from the intense emphasis that people place on looks as a means of judgment.

It's very unfortunate that the mirror is used so often to determine people's disposition toward themselves. It would be nice if our self-perception were based on more than the way we appear in the mirror.

Remember in "Snow White" when she looks at the mirror to affirm herself as "the fairest of them all"? Why does affirmation have to come from a mirror?

Why is it that the only way that we get to know ourselves is standing in front of the mirror? Focusing so much on physical development leaves internal development and character to decay. Looking in the mirror there is only so much you can see, so it's important to dig a little deeper, because hopefully there is more to you than meets the eye.

I'm not trying to deny the importance of physical attributes, but instead I'm trying to show the importance of character or the "inside" of a person.

I wonder how we would see ourselves if there were no mirrors?