All you need is the desire to look, long and hard, into the depths.
July 11, 2019 12:58 PM Subscribe
"Maybe rather than falling in love with his twin, Narcissus showed the pool his butt, peering over his beautiful shoulder to get the view from behind. Yet we prefer to think of Narcissus gazing at his lovely face for hours, wasting away (or drowning, depending on your mythological source) because he needs to be punished for his self-love. It’s a story with a moral, one that cautions against vanity and beauty. It’s also a story about the power of reflection, and we keep telling it because it keeps being relatable." The Ugly History of Beautiful Things: Mirrors
Part of a series by Katy Kelleher, earlier installments cover the grisly sides of perfume, angora, and pearls (previously)
Part of a series by Katy Kelleher, earlier installments cover the grisly sides of perfume, angora, and pearls (previously)
Once You Look Into a “True Mirror,” You’ll Never Be the Same
posted by jenfullmoon at 3:43 PM on July 11, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by jenfullmoon at 3:43 PM on July 11, 2019 [2 favorites]
One of my favorite things to do at a museum or an antique store is to look into an old mirror. Like tasting historically accurate food, it's one of the rare experiences you can share with the long dead. I can't resist looking into the mirror with my healthy 21st-century face and imagining the 19th-century woman framed just exactly so.
I spend a minute each morning and evening looking into the mirror at my absolute best angle, feeling a little like Snow White's stepmother, but unable to resist assuring myself that I continue to have It, at least for certain values thereof. This probably isn't exactly a universal ritual, but it is close enough to one to be comforting.
posted by Countess Elena at 6:16 PM on July 11, 2019 [7 favorites]
I spend a minute each morning and evening looking into the mirror at my absolute best angle, feeling a little like Snow White's stepmother, but unable to resist assuring myself that I continue to have It, at least for certain values thereof. This probably isn't exactly a universal ritual, but it is close enough to one to be comforting.
posted by Countess Elena at 6:16 PM on July 11, 2019 [7 favorites]
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posted by treepour at 3:29 PM on July 11, 2019 [5 favorites]