It's the ultimate trompe l'oeil—a mirror that makes you look thinner than you actually are. Thanks to a concave curve in the glass, Kickstarter entrepreneur Belinda Jasmine has devised a piece of ingenuity that flatters, and well, lies.
According to an article in the Daily Mail, the Skinny Mirror provides users with rose-coloured glasses, making them appear up to 10lbs lighter. It's thought that the boost given by the mirror, which costs around £116 ($183CD), is a cheaper alternative to plastic surgery.
If our self-image is linked to our ‘perceived’ attractiveness, then maybe a skewed mirror is all that's needed to help us face the world with confidence and competence. You must admit, it's far less insidious than this method, or this one for that matter.
"Nothing is more gorgeous than the self-assurance that comes from feeling good in your own skin," goes the company's ethos. But do we really need a fallacy to help us feel better about our bodies?
For everyone who's experienced one of those 'fat days,' where every item in your closet winds up in a discarded pile on the floor, having a mirror that flatters may be a welcome concept.
Further, Skinny Mirror's makers insist their product could help those suffering from conditions like body dysmorphia, in which a person's perception of their bodies is distorted and inaccurate.
Does the Skinny Mirror provide a harmless confidence boost or is it simply an exercise in self-deception? Would you consider buying one?
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