Mirror, Mirror

 

 

When the man in the mirror catches my eyes
It always comes as the biggest surprise
That guy in the glass staring at me
Is not who I see myself to be
My mind or the mirror – one’s telling lies

I saw this picture on the web and it inspired the poem. 

Actually, my own problem is the exact opposite.  The fellow I see in the mirror is always a bit of a surprise, but it’s because he is older, more tired and considerably less attractive than I see myself in my mind’s eye. 

Before you decide that I’m an incurable  narcissist, let me say that I also think that practically everyone I know looks better in person than they do in photographs.

And I don't think it is simply a matter of personality affecting appearance. That’s part of it, of course, but there is some indefinable animating quality in real human faces that is simply missing in photos.  I suspect the same thing holds true for mirrors as well.

Psychologists will tell you that most men tend to think of themselves as more attractive than they actually are, and most women tend to think that they look worse.  Nobody, it seems, is capable of envisioning a true-to-life image of themselves.

There are a few folks who may look better on paper or on screen than they actually do face-to-face, but I suspect that most of those who do get their pictures taken for a living.