SHORT STORY: A House Without Mirrors

 I grew up in a house without a mirror. 

I was an only daughter, cherished deeply by my Mother. In fact, she wasn't just my Mother. She was my bestfriend and we did everything together. 

My mother always told me I'm beautiful. And everytime I go out, I always notice people staring at me. 

"I told you, you're beautiful!" my friend told me.

"I wish I am as beautiful as you so I can have men chasing me," another friend told me.

When I turned 22, my Mother left. I stayed in the house. In my head, as long as I take care of the house, I will always be with my Mother.

I worked hard and got a high paying job. I finally have enough to start a new life in the city. So on my 25th birthday, I decided to sell the house. I bought a house right in the middle of the city, previously owned by a couple who decided to move to the country. The house was fully furnished, mirrors included. 

There is a narrow hallway upon entry. Installed at the end is a full length mirror. I made my way towards it and there I saw my reflection for the very first time. 

I wasn't beautiful at all. My face is distorted, my nose crooked, and my eyes uneven. I don't understand why everyone was calling me beautiful when I wasn't at all. In fact, I am the opposite. I am ugly.

The next day, I made the decision to remove every single mirror in the house. 

_

It's not reality that dictates who we are. It's how we perceive ourselves. And the people we surround ourselves with.

Is there a standard to beauty? If there is, who laid it down? Isn't it just... men? People like us? Beauty is subjective. Surround yourself with people that lets you down, and you will go down. As long as you believe that you are alright, and the people around you respect you as the person you are, not by how you look, then you are beautiful. Don't let somebody else's perception of you define who you are. 

The mirror here represents people who tells you you're ugly, or incapable, or unworthy. Or in other words, the mirror here represents social media who regularly tells you you're not enough. But surround yourself with the right people, and you keep on going, believing that you are indefinite and unrestrained by the man-made standard of beauty and success, then you become the best version of you. And that's more than enough.