Gentle lighting smooths your skin, highlights your muscles, and creates slimming shadows along your body–all of which work to keep you coming back to the gym! Harsh lighting is notorious for emphasizing the tiniest flaws and creating sharp shadows that distort your proportions.
If you’ve ever been in a fun house at a fair, you probably know that some mirrors are concave, or curve inward. They make your face and body appear smaller and squished in. On the other hand, convex mirrors curve outwards, which can make your normal sized features look huge! There’s an easy way to tell whether a mirror is distorted or not. Simply look for any uneven lines in the reflection that should be straight, such as door frames and baseboards.
If you’re looking for a more accurate mirror, experts recommend buying one that is at least ⅜ of an inch (1 cm) thick. Be sure to also look for mirrors with a sturdy wood backing. This helps to prevent bending and distortion, even if the glass is thin.
You can usually tell the difference between glass and acrylic mirrors because glass is more reflective. Acrylic mirrors are also much lighter and have some give to them, unlike glass.
You are much more familiar with your reversed self–and therefore probably like it more–because you see yourself in the mirror more than you do in photos! It’s common for people to like their image better in the mirror because you have more control. When you look in a mirror, you usually pose and immediately shift yourself to your “good” side. [7] X Research source
While neither a mirror or photo is a perfect depiction, mirrors simply reflect your face back to you. Mirrors are also more accurate because they give you a 3D view of yourself while in motion. Cameras give you a static, 2D image which can flatten and enlarge your features. Shorter camera lenses, which are usually in phones, can make your features look wider and larger. A longer lens will generally make you look more elongated and slim. [9] X Research source
