The Skinny Mirror

skinnymirrorcompare11There was a really interesting product pitched on Shark Tank this past week that made me wonder if the sharks had it all wrong. I’m curious about what you think.

The product is called the Skinny Mirror, designed by Belinda Jasmin. It’s worth reading the story behind the mirror. In short, Belinda lives a healthy, active lifestyle, yet she never felt good about her body while looking in the mirror.

So she made a change: She invented a mirror that made her look a little slimmer. I’ll quote her so you can see the impact it had on her confidence and body image:

“I used the prototype for months and could see and feel the difference in my body and my attitude towards my body. I started to really appreciate and love my body. My mirror taught me it is the image we hold of ourselves that affects everything in our lives – our work, goals, relationships. Even though I haven’t physically changed at all, I could change how I saw myself.”

I think that’s pretty awesome. The sharks did not. They seemed to think that Jasmin was trying to deceive herself and others, and they gave the impression that the mirrors would deter people from actually taking active steps to be healthier.

Granted, Jasmin did reveal that a significant number of sales of the mirror have come from retail stores whose customers try on clothing in front of the mirrors. However, Jasmin insists upon putting the Skinny Mirror logo on the retail mirrors so customers aren’t deceived. I think that’s honorable.

But her main target are regular people like you and me. People who don’t always like what they see in the mirror. Regardless of whether or not we’re actively improving our lifestyle and eating habits, I think it’s pretty cool that we could look in the mirror before heading out on a date with our head held high. That confidence can go a long way.

Maybe I’m way off on this. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the Skinny Mirror.

7 thoughts on “The Skinny Mirror”

  1. I think it’s interesting, but have mixed feelings. I like people learning to love themselves as they are, but I also like it when people can physically see their potential and are then motivated to strive to improve themselves. Other than that I don’t have any strong feelings towards it and wouldn’t purchase one; I’m happy using my regular full-length mirror and my bathroom mirror. xD

    Reply
  2. I think you’re on the money here.

    I’m not particularly heavy, but I’m definitely not slim either, but after seeing myself in a mirror with some odd lighting that showed some (not evident in normal lighting) muscle definition, I felt much better about myself and was prompted to eat/exercise better. In a similar vein, a new cut of shirt, fitting a bit more tightly, prompted several people to comment on my weight loss (I’d been the same weight for a year or so)… again, leading me to work on my appearance.

    Even when you “know” how this stuff works, it still helps. You aren’t going to go “I look great, I’m going to go stuff my face with crap now!”, you’ll think “I look great, keep up the good work, handsome!” and then make with the shooty finger, winking, and that tongue click noise.

    In other, somewhat related news, the moustache photo from a few days back had you looking considerably larger than your latest videos would imply. Congratulations on getting into better shape!

    Reply
    • Ian: Thanks for sharing your experience with a similar mirror. It’s neat that a small change in lighting (or clothing) can have such a big difference.

      Reply
  3. I just saw her pitch and the the Sharks totally missed the point on this mirror. There are several uses that were never even talked about that could be true selling points for the mirror. As long as there is a spirit of “full disclosure” that this is how the Skinny Mirror works, these could be good applications:
    1. Weight loss inspiration — imagine if you were overweight but saw what you could look like 5-10 lbs slimmer. And you KNEW this was really you with a ‘slimmed down look’ as a result of the mirror, but it made you feel inspired to actually go and lose the weight. You could take a photo of yourself in the Skinny Mirror and compare it to your real mirror self and catalog your weight loss month by month.
    2. Mirrors in the bedroom — this has both consumer and commercial applications. Anyone who has ever had sex in front of a mirror would appreciate the view from a Skinny Mirror.
    3. Movie/film industry mirrors — the camera puts 10 lbs on you, the Skinny Mirror takes 10 lbs off. Imagine filming movies with the mirror where there’s an added slimming effect on the actors.

    I do agree with the inventor that as long as you know this is not what the current you looks like, but – could – look like, and it helps you feel confident about yourself then why the hell not buy one?

    Reply
  4. Denise: Those are great points! I hadn’t thought of 2 or 3, but I agree that they could be fantastic selling points for the mirror.

    Reply

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