Day 28: Closing

So Today is that last day of this project and it has been harder then ever to not look in a mirror knowing that it is the last day. I have tried to remember to avoid the reflect surfaces and mirrors all day long. So far today I have felt like I have failed on this last day because I kept on seeing myself in all different types of surfaces that I have encountered today. Failing on the last day seems almost fitting because my project has come to close. It has been hard today because I had to go to Walgreens to pick up some photos that I had ordered, I had ushering duty for Big River at 1:30 till 5 pm and I went to a cookout at my teacher, D.W.'s (Dr. Williams) house where I didn't know the layout so I was unprepared for the amount of reflect surfaces that are in her home when I got there at 5:30 pm. I have decided that I will be taking down my post-it notes tomorrow inbetween the my first and second classes. I have felt really relieved that I haven't had the pressure to look in a mirror to double check that my hair is all in place because I know that I can ask my friends to tell me an honest answer. I feel like the real me has finally emerged from within me after 16 years of being repressed by the mirror me that had taken over my body in a sense. I had felt this real me at different throughout the years especially when I in a theatre class because I could feel that it was just under the skin and wanted to break through but it wasn't strong enough to do so till I took away what was repressing it. I have found relief in this period of time without a mirror and have found there is more hours in a day that I can use wisely to do more things but end up sometimes find myself running out of time to do things for I have become very busy as classes are ramping up with homework and other assignments too. With everything that has been going on, I have found it hard to find time to de-stress my brain from thinking every single day about what needs to get done so that I will have everything ready for when it is due. This project has given me insight into a new perceptive that I never would have had otherwise if I had choose something else for my project. I feel as if I have beat the mirror me into disappearing but I feel like she might make a reappearance someday but hopefully not any day soon because I love the person that has come out and turned into the real me that was lying underneath the surface for 16 long years. I hope that you can enjoy the conclusions that I have come to from undertaking this project.

Day 27 Part 2: Article

So this is continued from the first part which has the poem 'Mirror Mirror' by Leslie Callejas on it. I choose this poem as my last article because it truly sees in a way and explains what we, women look for sometimes (or most of the time) when we look in a mirror. It shows that we always have something on our minds even when we don't see it at first but then when we take a step closer, we start to see things clearer then they were before. It shows that we are understand that mirrors can show us what we don't what to see all the time. We wish to truly understand each piece that makes up us but can't unless we were take apart us piece by piece then there would be nothing left of us and most likely we still would understand every piece that we had just laid out in front of from themselves. I hope that you understand what I meaning but if not I hope that you enjoyed this poem.

Day 27: Article

So this the last article that will be posted on this blog but I have found a poem for you all the really reflects everything that has been going on throughout this who project. I hope that you enjoy it. Continued in Part 2.

Mirror Mirror by Leslie Callejas

Mirror-mirror on the wall
show me what you see
if you really reflect it all
show every piece of me

behind my eyes, behind my smile
deep into my soul
linger for a little while
show me all you know

not just a figure standing here
reveal all that's inside
show me, even though I fear
here and now, it's time

show
the bruised and battered place in me
the piece that just can't cope
the part that longs to be set free
the side where life's a joke

the innocence hiding behind the sin
the adult inside the child
the heart that won't let anyone in
the piece of me that's mild

the place in me that's always red
the part that's forever blue
the side that follows what is said
the piece that's always confused

the place in me that thinks I'm right
the part that knows I'm wrong
the side that's bloated up with pride
the piece that can't go on

the coward inside the fighter
the genius next to the dumb
the part that's drunk with laughter
the side that shies from fun

so, mirror-mirror on the wall
I'll step back so I can see
if you really reflect it all
and show every piece of me

Day 26: Article

So this was suppose to be an interview day but no one that I contacted could get back to me for me to write about it. So once again I'm doing an article instead of doing an interview. I found this article on the Daily Mails online newspaper. The article is called Women turning their backs on mirrors to ease constant pressure of having to look good. It was written Tamara Cohen back in August of this year. The article talks about how women are embracing the new trend of 'mirror fasting' to avoid the pressure of always having to look good. They say that those that have tried it have felt liberated and that is true because I'm having that feeling through my own project. Ms. Cohen was able to talk to Autumn Whitefield-Mardano, Kjerstin Gruys and their experiences with their own 'mirror fasts'. She also talks to
Dr. Phillippa Diedrichs, who is a psychologist that deals with appearance. Her opinion is that 'mirror fasting' is just another way to obsess about one's appearance. I hope that you enjoy this article that I have found for everyone.

Day 25: MIRRORS EVERYWHERE!!!!!!

So Today is my last free day before this project comes to a close on Sunday. It has been a little nerve racking know that in just 3 more days I will be uncovering my mirrors for the first time in 28 days. Today has been an extremely taxing day for reasons that will become clear. Everywhere I turned today, there were mirrors. I couldn't believe it for I knew that I had to try extra hard to not look at myself for the mirror was so close and it felt like it was calling me to look at myself again. It was somewhat terrorizing in a way being around all those mirrors today. Also my roommate decided that it would be a grand idea to lock me out of the room, while holding onto the lock when I only had like 2 minutes to get in and out of the room. She believes that it is funny, so she does this several times a day which gets me angry for I don't have very much patience with her anymore when she does it. I needed to go get some money before I went over to the Dixon Center to help sew up some costumes for Big River, tomorrow. I sewed on 6 buttons onto a pair of pants and ironed some shirts before I left to work on homework. But on the other hand I found out today in chapel from Senator Lamar Alexander that one of the Lee choirs will be singing at the swearing in of the new President in January 2013. We could believe and where so excited that Lee was going to be there. So I hope that you enjoy what I wrote about today. (The pictures are from Halloween at Lee)

Day 24: Article

Today is another article day. The article that I found is from a website called Women's Views On News. The title of the article is Mirror-fasting: the ugly face of obsession. The article was written and posted by Jackie Gregory, earlier this last month. She talks about how the media are appalled that women would give up mirrors at all to break a self obsession of themselves. She also writes that 'mirror fasting' is quickly spreading through the world. It started here in America and has spread so far to Britain and Australia or that is what the media believes. Many doctors and psychologists believe that 'mirror fasting' is just another way to obsess about one's appearance when one can't look at it. It comments on how the media twisted the view on 'mirror fasting' to be something different then it really is for the media hasn't really a clue. It talks about the many different issues that have come up from this growth trend of 'mirror fasting' and that no one has really attempted to get under the skin of Autumn Whitefield-Madrano. I hope that you enjoyed this article that I have found for you.

One more thing, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!

Day 23: Survey

So Today was the last survey day. I decided to reuse the questions from the last two surveys because they didn't go so well. So I have a list of 11 questions that shall be answered hopefully. 32 people did this survey overall at the end of collecting data. Below are the results from the last survey.

Question 1) How many times a day do you think you look in a MIRROR?
                a) 0       b) 12       c) 11       d) 9       e) 0
Answer b is the overall winner on this question.

Question 2) How long do you look at yourself in a MIRROR?
                a) 13       b) 9       c) 10       d) 0       e) 0
Answer a is the overall winner on this question.

Question 3) Do you look in a MIRROR to do your hair?
                a) 14       b) 9       c) 9
Answer a is the overall winner on this question

Question 4) Do you think that you could go a whole day without looking in a MIRROR?
                a) 13       b) 10       c) 9
Answer a is the overall winner on this question.

Question 5) Would you be willing to try to go at least a day without a MIRROR?
                a) 15       b) 17
Answer b is the overall winner on this question.

Question 6) Why do we have MIRRORS?
                a) 13       b) 10       c) 9
Answer a is the overall winner on this question.

Question 7) How many MIRRORS do you think you own? (windows do not count)
                a) 9       b) 8       c) 8       d) 7       e) 0
Answer a is the overall winner on this question.

Question 8) Do you use a MIRROR when putting make-up on?
                a) 17       b) 1       c) 14
Answer a is the overall winner on this question.

Question 9) If given the chance would you go without make-up (no MIRROR given) when leaving the home?
                a) 13       b) 10       c) 9
Answer a is the overall winner on this question.

Question 10) Do you think MIRRORS are important in day to day life?
                 a) 17       b) 15
Answer a is the overall winner on this question.

Question 11) If you had grown up with no MIRRORS in your life do you think that it would be different then it is today?
                  a) 12       b) 10       c) 10
Answer a is the overall winner on this question.

Day 22: Dorm Wars

So Today was another Free Day but also it was DORM WARS!!!!! I have felt like it is getting easier but knowing that the ending of my project is just around the corner, is making it harder too. This might not make any sense to you at all but it does to me. Knowing that the last day that I don't have to look in a mirror is Sunday terrifies me because I worry that my mirror self will take over and cover up the true me that has finally come to the surface after 16 years of look in a mirror. Also it made me get into a little fight with my roommate because she wants to rip off all the post-it notes covering the mirrors at Midnight that day. I was able to persuade her that I had to do but I also got somewhat angry which doesn't happen often for I can control my temper better now then I could a couple of years ago. So I will be taking the post-it notes down on Monday after the project is done then do one more post to reflect on anything else I feels needs to be said at my project as a whole. So now we come to the part that I really want to talk about which is DORM WARS!!!!! My dorm hall, Snora (Simmons and Nora Chambers) were SUPER SNORA!!!!! Tonight was so much fun. We screamed for our team and didn't give up for anything. There were three challenges or heats as they called them that teams from different dorms would compete against each other in to win DORM WARS!!!! The three challenges were a relay race (which constituted off three parts: three legged race, wheel barrel and sac bag race), shopping cart race and obstacle course. Each one more entertaining then the last, especially the last one. All of SUPER SNORA'S efforts were not in vain through for we were awarded not only the SPIRIT AWARD but also 2ND PLACE!!!! Through next year we will be prepared and shall win not only the SPIRIT AWARD but also 1ST PLACE!!!!!!! I hope that you enjoyed today's post!!!!!

Day 21 Part 2: Article

I didn't really have room to write about this poem on the first post. When I found this poem, I couldn't believe it. So I read all the way through it then decided that it had a deeper meaning then most people would assign to it. Tricks with Mirrors by Margaret Atwood is a poem that really defines what women think now a days even through many of us have gotten up and out from under the power that men once held over us. We, women have turned from being under the thumb of a man to being equals and standing on our own in this world but sometimes it might seem as if we are just being told what to do every second of every day. It makes us feel like mirrors because we can't do anything about it at all. So by breaking that status quo from so long ago, is so important now a days because women can be whatever that they so desire without the need to have a man in their life. Mirrors in this image is strange because women have been viewed as possessions for most of world history but even that started to change last century and even more so in this century. I believe that is highly important to be a strong and independent woman in today's culture because of the changes that are happening daily. I hope that you enjoyed the poem that was today's article.

Day 21: Article

Tricks with Mirrors by Margaret Atwood

 It's no coincidence
 this is a used
 furniture warehouse.

 I enter with you
 and become a mirror.

 Mirrors
 are the perfect lovers,

 that's it, carry me up the stairs
 by the edges, don't drop me,

 that would be back luck,
 throw me on the bed

 reflecting side up,
 fall into me,

 it will be your own
 mouth you hit, firm and glassy,

 your own eyes you find you
 are up against closed closed

 There is more to a mirror
 than you looking at

 your full-length body
 flawless but reversed,

 there is more than this dead blue
 oblong eye turned outwards to you.

 Think about the frame.
 The frame is carved, it is important,

 it exists, it does not reflect you,
 it does not recede and recede, it has limits

 and reflections of its own.
 There's a nail in the back

 to hang it with; there are several nails,
 think about the nails,

 pay attention to the nail
 marks in the wood,

 they are important too.

 Don't assume it is passive
 or easy, this clarity

 with which I give you yourself.
 Consider what restraint it

 takes: breath withheld, no anger
 or joy disturbing the surface

 of the ice.
 You are suspended in me

 beautiful and frozen, I
 preserve you, in me you are safe.

 It is not a trick either,
 it is a craft:

 mirrors are crafty.

 I wanted to stop this,
 this life flattened against the wall,

 mute and devoid of colour,
 built of pure light,

 this life of vision only, split
 and remote, a lucid impasse.

 I confess: this is not a mirror,
 it is a door

 I am trapped behind.
 I wanted you to see me here,


 say the releasing word, whatever
 that may be, open the wall.

 Instead you stand in front of me
 combing your hair.

 You don't like these metaphors.
 All right:

 Perhaps I am not a mirror.
 Perhaps I am a pool.


 Think about pools.

Continued in Part 2. 

Day 20 Part 2: Links Day

This is Part 2 that is continued from the first post.

Link 4: 'Mirror Fasts' Help Take the Focus Off Yourself - This article was written by Kate Murphy and was posted on the New York Times online website. It talks about 'mirror fasting' as an exercise that is allowing others to see themselves more clearly when they don't need to focus on mirrors. The article mentions and talks to Autumn Whitefield-Madrano, Kjerstin Gruys, and Marisa Gizzio about their experiences with 'mirror fasting' and how it has effected them. The 'mirror fasting' helped them all in different ways in the end. They also talked Dr. Kate Fox, a social anthropologist, Dr. Eric Hollander, a clinical professor of psychiatry, Adrienne Ressler, a social worker and therapist, and Felice Austin, a hypnotherapist about what they think about 'mirror fasting' too. 

Link 5: Mirror fasting: what a great idea! - This article was written by Michele Hanson in the Gulf Times from London. As I read through this article is seemed as if he wasn't being helpful but was somewhat laughing in the faces of us, American women that have tried 'mirror fasting'. Through he does give Autumn Whitefield-Madrano credit for doing it. And it also talks about how mirrors have crushed our self images for a long time but it didn't start until we had mirrors for when we didn't like the middle ages we didn't focus on our self image as much as we do now.

I hope that you enjoyed the links that I was able to find for everyone on 'mirror fasting' once again.

Day 20: Links Day

So Today is Links Day! This is so exciting, not really. It is sometimes really hard to find links that are good enough for me to show you because I only get to show you 5 of them. So here are the links and a little bit of information that describes each one too.

Link 1: The Media Flips Out at the Idea of Mirror Fasting - This article was written by Madeleine Davis. It talks about how the image-obsessed media were terrified that women were giving up mirrors for some period of time to let go whatever you have about your appearance. It has excepts from The Guardian, with Autumn Whitefield-Madrano. It also has some videos that talk about "mirror fasting" with Tyra Banks and an author that gave up mirrors too.

Link 2: Some Women Try 'Mirror Fasting' - This article was written by Dr. Vivian Diller in Face It Magazine. It talks about how body obsessed people are being suggested by others to 'mirror fast' for this obsession. It comments on how 'mirror fasting' is being coming increasing popular. She also says that it is evidence of the complicated role that plays on a women's psyche. She believes that 'mirror fasting' is an interesting social experiment against today's culture obsession on youth and beauty.

Link 3: Trend: 'Mirror Fasting' Helps Women Break Image Obsession - This article is from the Washington DC, CBS online. It talks about how 'mirror fasting' is a movement that was created by female bloggers. They also talk to Autumn Whitefield-Madrano about her experience with it all. They talk about a study that was conducted about how many times women and men look in mirrors. They also talked to Dr. Kate Fox, who believes is just another way to fixate on one's appearance.

Continued in Part 2.

Day 19: Masquerade

"Masquerade Paper Faces On Parade"- Masquerade, The Phantom Of The Opera. I thought that this was quote was fitting because of the activities that some Lee students like me percipient in tonight. We had a masquerade party with music, food and all the fixings for a great party. I also found that when my friends were doing my hair and make-up, I had the feeling or craving so to speak of wanting a mirror so that I may look at myself throughout the transformation of me being me to the character that I went out as in the end. I had to just till with pictures and not a step by step look into it. I had my friends take the pictures every so often but not always so that that pics can be down loaded to my computer to be posted on this site. I was also talking with one of my hall mates earlier this evening and she believes that by taking photos then looking at them is breaking my rules but I had decided that photos will not count unless I have taken them personally so that if friends take them it doesn't count against my goal. It was hard to not look up whenever I was going someplace today but it is getting down to the wire being week 3 already and that week is coming to a fast close at that. The picture is of my new friend, Emily, my roommate, Josie and I at the photo booth that they had set up at the Masquerade, it was themed around 'Alice in Wonderland'. There were some great costumes out there tonight. I hope that you all enjoyed today's post.

Day 18: Article

I found this article interesting and thought that it needed to be shared because it does have something to do with mirrors. I found it on the website, Mysteries 24. I don't know why the website was called this but it just is. So the article is called, The mirror: A window to another world. The article talks about how mirrors can hold negative energy especially if an "unpleasant man" comes into one's home. It is also believed in this article that by covering the mirrors in a deceased person home, you can prevent one's self being pulled into the afterlife by the dead. I don't personally believe in that because I believe that Jesus Christ came and died for my sins. There are many other things that the article says which I will not bore you with the details for you make go and look at the link if you so desire. I hope that you enjoy the article but if you don't then it is up to you to make what you wish of this article today.

Day 17: Survey

So Today is my survey day. Below are the results that I got from my second survey that I created on Survey Monkey. This one had only 6 questions in it but is still on the same topic of mirrors. I allowed people to put as many answers that they could because I wouldn't want to be stuck with only one answer. I allowed this survey to be up for 9 days straight through I only posted on my page for 8 days because I first posted it on Facebook for people to take.

1. Why do we have MIRRORS?
To look at ourselves                                                                                             100% ----- 3
To become the objects of our own vanity                                                           0% ----- 0
To become narcissistic                                                                                           0% ----- 0

2. How many MIRRORS do you think you own? (not reflect surfaces like windows)
2-3 MIRRORS                                                                                                               0% ----- 0
4-5 MIRRORS                                                                                                             66% ----- 2
6-7 MIRRORS                                                                                                             33% ----- 1
8-9 MIRRORS                                                                                                               0% ----- 0
More than 9 MIRRORS                                                                                               0% ----- 0

3. Do you use a MIRROR when putting make-up?
Yes                                                                                                                            100% ----- 3
No                                                                                                                                   0% ----- 0
Sometimes                                                                                                                   0% ----- 0

4. If given the chance would you go without make-up (if no MIRROR) when leaving the home?
Yes                                                                                                                                66% ----- 2
No                                                                                                                                  33% ----- 1
Maybe                                                                                                                           33% ----- 1

5. Do you think MIRRORS are important in day to day life?
Yes                                                                                                                               100% ----- 3
No                                                                                                                                     0% ----- 0

6. If you had grown up with no MIRRORS in your life do you think that it would be different then it is
today?
Yes                                                                                                                                 66% ----- 2
No                                                                                                                                      0% ----- 0
Maybe                                                                                                                            33% ----- 1

This survey didn't go as well as I had planned it once again for only 3 people did this one when the last one there were 5 people who did it. So I'm thinking I might have to get out of my dorm room and go ask people the questions that I come up with for my last survey instead of doing Survey Monkey. 

Day 16: The Real Me

So today was Day 16 of my no mirrors project. So far it has gone well but you can never know what might happen in the next couple of days. I have found that it is getting easier to avoid the mirrors or surfaces that might show my reflection and give me a hint of what I might look like. There are some surfaces that I'm having trouble not looking in like cars. When you walk by a car it is like there is something inside of you telling you look at yourself so that you can see your reflection in the shiny car next to you. So whenever I go out in a car I have to be extra careful not to look at myself because of this craving to look at myself if it could be called a craving at all. I hope that anyone out there can tell if this can be called one or not but to me it is so it shall be called one. I have also found that whenever I am coming never a surface where I would have to lift my head to even see myself in it I have been repeating in my head mind you "I shall not look at myself" over and over again. I know that this mind sound silly but it has been really helping me by without my reflection on how I look. Everyone so far has seen that my skin has been improving for the better plus they are realizing that this new me that is coming to surface is the real me not the me that has been grown over the years under the careful eyes of mirrors and the hash words of her younger brother. This new me feels as if it was there along but needed to be set free so that it might enjoy the warthm of the sun too but had never felt free to show because of the overpowering/ overbearingness of the mirror me if that is confusing it confuses me too. I'm hoping that this new me will remain when the mirrors come back and the mirror me stays away for as long as possible so that new me will blossom into something beautiful. I hope that you enjoyed today's post please tell me what you thought of it.

Day 15 Part 2: Article

So this is the continued part of Day 15 because the poem was so long that I couldn't write anything about it. I decided to choose this poem because it reminds us we are more then what we can see and hear about about one's self. We can make out anything but not if it is twisted out of shape and replacing something that is so beautiful that you can't but think that you must be ugly for the glass in which it was shaped was twisted out of form to make you think this. If you make a mirror remember to put in it something that wasn't in the twisted one but with love, hope and renewing life you can make a beautiful life or mirror out of those three words for everyone to see when they look at themselves in this new mirror that was made. This poem inspires me to keep going after 2 weeks into this project because otherwise I don't think I wouldn't have made it this far without encouragement from family and friends and that everyone thinks (/ believes somewhat) that this is a good idea for me to undertake. I hope that you enjoyed today's article. 

Would you please do my survey, I have to post it later this week and it is not doing so well so far (only 3 people have taken it). Thank you again!!!

Day 15: Article

Beyond The Looking Glass

by Edwina Peterson Cross

Mirror, mirror on the wall . . .
Who is the fairest one of all . . .

Out flew the web and floated wide . . .
The mirror cracked from side to side . . .
The cracking of this crystal sphere
Was greeted by a rousing cheer
A joyful cry that filled the air
From thinking women everywhere
The smashing of this narrow glass
Which lived to hurt and to harass
Pernicious magic; dark, arcane
Existed only to cause pain
The things it loved most to create
Were envy, rancor, gall and hate
It’s message spoke of surface things
The beauty of the wives of kings
Who in it’s depth would sit and stare
And wonder if they were most fair
It’s true intent was low and starker
Something deep and so much darker
It’s mission here upon the earth:
To prove that women have no worth
The things it hoped to bring about
Were fear, resentment and self doubt
To feed on woman’s greatest fears
And it had worked for many years
Generations it had held in thrall
With “whose is the fairest one of all”

It’s urgent that we understand
The duplicity this mirror had planned
It made the mirror laugh and exalt
When a woman thought it her own fault
It made the mirror extremely glad
When a woman thought that she was bad
It was the foul mirror’s fondest dream
To obliterate all self-esteem
And make a woman quail and balk
For wanting to hear its wretched talk
To keep her spirit in upheaval
Believing the wanting made her evil
To feel her feelings cloaked with grime
As if emotions were a crime
To make her feel she needed shrift
For owning the Goddess’ greatest gift
Nature’s magnificent work of art
A woman’s full, emoting heart

But now we’ve smashed the wretched mirror
Broken it’s hold; erased the fear
And it’s about time that it was gone
With all the pain it’s words could spawn
Turning women against each other
Friend and sister, daughter, mother
All that trash about who is best
“Who is better than all the rest?”
While all those words of false self-pride
Just bruised and wounded from inside
But, now we know it’s words are hollow
A new-found wisdom we will follow
Henceforward we’ll show lots more smarts
And believe the truth of our own hearts
We’ll scatter this dark glass on the waters
And build a new glass for our daughters
A smooth, clear glass that will project
Authenticity and self respect
With wisdom’s width and truth of length
To mirror a woman’s many strengths
A looking glass not made of sand
But shaped of things we understand
A mirror milled from moon and star
That shows exactly who you are

Out flew the web and floated wide
The mirror cracked from side to side
Good riddance to that harping witch!
That mirror was always such a bitch

Continued in Part 2. 

Day 14: Interview

I decided that even through that this isn't a full interview I would count it as one. A couple of days ago I was able to get in contact with my inspiration, Kjerstin Gruys. I asked her about her experience with "mirror fasting" and how it helped her become what she is today. She responded back saying that going without mirrors had been a great thing for her. It was able to teach herself to focus more on the world around her, and less on herself most importantly her looks. She also said that it gave her a greater sense of confidence that she could go without mirrors for a whole year. She also wished me luck on my own project of no mirrors for 28 days. I would just like to say thank to Kjerstin for talking to me a little bit about her own experiences and encouraging me to keep going too. I hope that you enjoyed the interview that I was able to get finished this time around unlike last time.

Day 13: Recovery

So today I can talk about whatever I so desire to talk about for it is a free day. I am slowly getting better from being sick last weekend and I am officially off my crutches for good because the medicine that the doc gave me is working. This also means that I can start to wear dresses again for my Grandma didn't want me wearing them when I was on crutches for fear of me showing my underwear to everyone. No fear Grandma I followed every word you told me to follow. This morning because it is a Saturday I decided to sleep in and I think that is helping me recover from the cold that I have. Today I will also be getting the finishing products to complete my Halloween costume. I will not share what it is because I want it to be a surprise when it is unveiled on Oct 31st. For I plan to wear the costume all day long besides to one class for we are in the Rec. Center and exercising but I will be wearing the rest of the time that day. Today for church I will be allowed to wear (I believe so) my small little French heels that I brought back in 2010 for "Throughly Modern Millie" which I was a Modern in. I will also be wearing my favorite green dress that I brought before started college. It will look fabulous but I can only get others opinions because of this project not that I'm unhappy this project is giving me a new look out on life which isn't done with me yet so I will not share it yet. I hope that you enjoyed today's post.

Day 12: Aritcle

So Today was another article day. I was able to find an article in The Economic Times. Yes, I know that it totally out of character for me but what can I say there is an interesting article on mirrors on their website. The article from their website is called Mirrors are far better suited to be used as unbiased judges. It was posted on their website just this past August, so you can know that this issue is very real and current in today's world/ culture. It talks about the issue of "mirror fasts" which is what some women are doing. I believe that my blog of not looking into any mirror or reflect surface would fall into that category but not to the extreme that most women take it like in the article. It also talks about how there needs to be other ways found to boost our self-esteem besides going through "mirror fasts". I hope that you enjoy this article as much as I did when I read. 

Day 11 Part 2: Links Day

Link 3 Continued: They also talked to Dr. Phillippa Diedrichs, who is a psychologist for the Centre of Appearance Research. She claims that mirror fasting makes one obsess about their appearance more then before. They would have us think to about if it was a trend to boon a woman's self-esteem or was it a total bust? It is from Huffpost Style.

Link 4: Tyra Banks Talks 'Mirror Fasting' - This is a video on ABC News. They talk about the pros and cons of looking in mirrors to be less self-conscuios about themselves. From watching this video it shows that if it is being talked about on the news and by Tyra Banks then it needs to be listened too but that is my own opinion.

Link 5: 'Mirror fasts' force you to look witing for beauty - This article was written by the website, StarTribune. This article once again talks with Autumn Whitefield Madrano and her experience of not looking in a mirror for 31 days straight. Also in the article they talk to Hallie Espel, who was recovering from an eating disorder. She went into a program at the Emily Program in St. Paul. There they build a relationship with mirrors for good not for evaluating her own appearance in it.

I hope that you enjoyed the links that I have found on "Mirror Fasting".

Day 11: Links Day

So Today is a day of links for my topic. I will write a little about each link I put down on today's blog post. There should be around 5 links that are posted. The links will focus on "Mirror Fasts" for they have become a growing trend in America.

Link 1: Mirror, Mirror... OFF The Wall. - This link is what inspired me to go without mirrors for 28 days. Kjerstin Gruys did a 365 or a whole year "mirror fast" and it was pretty interesting when I read it. It made me realise that I needed to get control over my vanity before I let it control me or get out of control and never be able to return to normal.

Link 2: Is 'mirror fasting' really a good idea? - This was a recent article done by DNA or Daily News &  Analysis. They talk to Christine Morgan form the Butterfly Foundation about "mirror fasting". She says that it gets the focus off your appearance but every one's problems really start in your head. They also interviewed Kylie Stevenson and her experience of going without mirrors for only a week. You can learn a lot from the pair on "mirror fasting".

Link 3: Mirror Fasting: The Latest Beauty Trend? - This is an article that came out this past August. It quotes the from the first believed movement on this topic in the Guardian. It also talks about bloggers like Autumn Whitefield-Madrano and Kjerstin Gruys. Continued in Part 2.

Day 10: Gone to Camp Granddad

Hey so I decided that I was going to start my next survey early because the last one didn't go so well as I had hoped it would so this one will be up till Oct 24th at noon because that is when it closes and you can't do the survey any longer. This survey only has one more question then the last one did which means 6 question because I couldn't think of any others. Now onto my day and what I really want to talk about. Today, I went to Camp Granddad which is a nickname for mother's parents home because they live on a lake with boat toys who wouldn't want them as grandparents. It means that I get Grandma's home cooking (plus my favorite meals) and big hugs from Granddad. They only live about an hour or so away from campus. They know about my project not sure how it will go but I will try to survive if the mirrors are not covered, maybe I will sit on the bathroom floor to dry my hair, brush my teeth/ hair and other things. So far I have survived in their house since I arrived. We had one of my favorite meals it was Buddy's Bar-b-que. Yes, that is the way it is spelled. I hope that everyone from my campus has an amazing Fall Break and I hope that everyone else has had a good day too. 

Post 9 Part 2: Article

So Today was once again an article day as you can see in Part 1 but I thought that I would talk about how my day has been going so far even through I suppose to use the free days for that I think. I have survived not looking in a mirror and not touching my face (getting better on that). Yesterday was a total fail because I was still sick (still am today) so I didn't go to classes. I went to the Health Clinic and was told that it was mostly a cold that messed with the respiratory system. So my dad was also down from OH since Sunday because of the problems with my right ankle. So I went out with him all day and brought food, a Halloween costume and I went to go see another Doctor that has put me on steroids to see if it will heal up. So back to today, I went to my classes today for I only had two classes. I decided that I would skip chapel because I just wasn't feeling up to it when it was time for chapel. So in the end I hope that you had a good day all together.

Day 9: Article

The Other Side of a Mirror 

by Mary Elizabeth Coleridge

I sat before my glass one day,
     And conjured up a vision bare,
Unlike the aspects glad and gay,
     That erst were found reflected there –
The vision of a woman, wild
     With more than womanly despair.

Her hair stood back on either side
     A face bereft of loveliness.
It had no envy now to hide
     What once no man on earth could guess.
It formed the thorny aureole
     Of hard unsanctified distress.

Her lips were open – not a sound
     Came through the parted lines of red.
Whate'er it was, the hideous wound
     In silence and in secret bled.
No sigh relieved her speechless woe,
     She had no voice to speak her dread.

And in her lurid eyes there shone
     The dying flame of life's desire,
Made mad because its hope was gone,
     And kindled at the leaping fire
Of jealousy, and fierce revenge,
     And strength that could not change nor tire.

Shade of a shadow in the glass,
     O set the crystal surface free!
Pass – as the fairer visions pass –
     Nor ever more return, to be
The ghost of a distracted hour,
     That heard me whisper, "I am she!"

I found this poem at the end of an article on The Guardian's Website. It is about the poem of the week back in May 2009. I hope that you can enjoy this poem as well as the article that goes along with the poem that I've chosen. Continued in Part 2. 

Day 8: Survey

So Today was my survey day. I posted my survey on my Day 7 post. I made it on Survey Monkey, which is a quick and fast way to make a survey that is free when you use the most basic plan that they have. I made five questions about my topic, which was MIRRORS. I gave it a period of 24 hours before it closes down. In that 24 hour period only 5 people took the survey. I aloud multiple answers for each question so it may seem off. The results are posted below.

1. How many times a day do you think you look in a MIRROR?
1-3 times a day                                                                   0% --- 0
3-6 times a day                                                                 40% --- 2
6-9 times a day                                                                 40% --- 2
9-12 times a day                                                              20% --- 1
Over 12 times a day (every chance you get)             0% --- 0

2. How long to you look at yourself in a MIRROR?
1-3 minutes long                                                              80% --- 4
3-6 minutes long                                                              20% --- 1
6-9 minutes long                                                              20% --- 1
9-12 minutes long                                                              0% --- 0
Over 12 minutes long                                                       0% --- 0

3. Do you look in a MIRROR to do your hair?
Yes                                                                                   100% --- 5
No                                                                                          0% --- 0
Sometimes                                                                          0% --- 0

4. Do you think that you could go a whole day without looking in a MIRROR?
Yes                                                                                      40% --- 2
No                                                                                        40% --- 2
Maybe                                                                                 20% --- 1

5. Would you be willing to try to go a least a day without a MIRROR?
Yes                                                                                      20% --- 1
No                                                                                        80% --- 4

As you can see the survey didn't really go that well but the next one will be up for longer once I have it made and ready. The one thing that you can see is that many people have to look in a mirror know matter what even when given the choice not to look in a mirror. 

Day 7: Article

So the person that I wanted to Interview never got back to me about the interview so I had to improves. I still sick so I decided that the best way to get this post done is to do another Article today so here it is. So I found this article on the History of Mirrors. It talks about the first mirror ever created and about how mirrors have evolved through the ages of the world. It is pretty neat what you can discover when you think about it. I hope that you enjoy this article as much as I did when I was reading it.

So tomorrow is my survey day so here is my survey please take it, it will not take long for it is only 5 questions long.

Day 6: Aritcle

Mirror by Sylvia Plath

I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions.
Whatever I see I swallow immediately
Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike.
I am not cruel, only truthful ‚
The eye of a little god, four-cornered.
Most of the time I meditate on the opposite wall.
It is pink, with speckles. I have looked at it so long
I think it is part of my heart. But it flickers.
Faces and darkness separate us over and over.

Now I am a lake. A woman bends over me,
Searching my reaches for what she really is.
Then she turns to those liars, the candles or the moon.
I see her back, and reflect it faithfully.
She rewards me with tears and an agitation of hands.
I am important to her. She comes and goes.
Each morning it is her face that replaces the darkness.
In me she has drowned a young girl, and in me an old woman
Rises toward her day after day, like a terrible fish.

This poem is from Poem Hunter. 

I wanted to find a poem that was about Mirrors because then it could show how everyone that looks in mirrors way to often will find one day that she or he is looking in it. Also I have yet to look in a mirror or touch my face today because most of the day I have been stuck in my dorm room for I'm sick which is bad in it's self. I'm on some medicines that can't really be mixed with Ibuprofen, Advil or Alive. I can take Tylenol but no one seems to have any so I continue to have a raging fever.  So I hope that you all are feeling much better then I am right now.