Do Mirrors Make You Look Bigger? (5 Secrets U Should Know)
Under certain conditions, yes, a mirror might make you look bigger. At other times, it can also make you look slimmer. So looks like a mirror can be your best friend or worst enemy depending if it gives you the benefit of looking slim or spoils your happiness by making you look fat/bigger.
Do mirrors make you look bigger? Yes, Mirrors can make you look different, sometimes bigger or sometimes smaller. The main reason is the curved design of the mirror and the lighting factor. Other reasons include mirror quality, our perception and tilting forward or backwards.
You must be annoyed by how your appearance is poles apart in different mirrors. You probably are confused if it’s the mirror or is it you being paranoid about your appearance. But the truth is a mirror can make you look bigger or make your appearance different and there are several reasons for that and you’ll be surprised to know that there are other culprits besides the mirror itself.
Why Do Mirrors Make You Look Bigger: 5 Reasons
Wondering to know the reasons why mirrors make you look bigger? There are several reasons that you look bigger than real in mirrors. Some reasons are technical such as mirror curved design and tilted mirrors. While other reasons are based on our perception and quality of mirrors used.
Let’s read out 5 main reasons why mirrors make you look bigger below:
1- Curved Mirror
A flat and thin mirror will make you look lean, this is usually commonplace for unframed mirrors. You will notice these kinds of mirrors in the changing rooms of malls and shopping centres. This trick apparently generates more sales as when you try on something and check it out in the thin, frameless mirror, it is highly likely that you will find yourself to be more attractive. You’ll buy that dress and boom you’ve been tricked by the mirrors. Anyway, that’s not always the case.
Likewise, a mirror that is curved a little bit will make you look bigger. Mirrors vary in their manufacturing types and resultantly, they might show a variation in their build quality. Even a slight curve in any edge of the mirror will make a noticeable change in the reflected image. Difference in the type of curvature decides if the mirror will make you look slim and tall or fat and wide.
2- Lighting Conditions
Lighting conditions are one of the primary culprits behind making you look bigger in a mirror. Kid you not, the type and intensity of light has a fairly huge impact on how your image appears in a mirror. In a dim and subtle lighting environment your reflection in the mirror will look a lot better, especially yellow light masks so much of the imperfections. While on the other hand, in intense light conditions you will get to see every tiny detail of your body.
If you are standing with a light above your head, definitely you’ll look bigger and/or fat. That is because light falling from above will create shadows in a way that will not be favorable to you. The shadows will make you look big and add bulk to some of the areas of your body.
A sharp white light may also not go in your favor. Flashy and stark lighting effects will serve the purpose of a spotlight for all your imperfections and consequently, you might look fat.
3- An age-old Mirror
That age-old mirror in your living room might be playing tricks on you. You ever wonder why your appearance takes a three-sixty degree flip as you check yourself out in a different mirror? Mirrors tend to undergo changes as they hang on the wall for a very long time. You may notice that you looked better in a certain mirror 5 years ago. That is because sometimes mirrors may develop an unnoticeable curve in them because of their own weight. And this curve is the reason why you might be looking bigger and wider in a mirror. Get rid of the old mirrors and save yourself from the anxiety of not looking exactly the way you are.
4- Your Own Perception may be the Bad-guy
Your own mind might be playing games with you. The image you create of yourself in your mind has a huge impact on how you see yourself in the mirror. For instance, if you work out in a gym for 2-3 days and you start thinking to yourself that you’re gaining muscle, then that’s what you’ll see more of in the mirror while a third person will definitely not be able to guess if you even visit a gym.
Similarly, when you start believing that you’re getting fat, you’ll start to see an unnecessarily huge difference in your body shape. So yeah, decide what’s causing the problem. Is it the mirror or your mind?
5- Tilted Mirrors
There are mirrors that hold the capacity of being tilted forward or backwards to a certain extent. If the mirror is slightly tilted forward towards you, it will make you look shorter and wider from the bottom. On the contrary, if you want to look slim and tall, just move the mirror on the back and there your reflection in the mirror will be just as you desire.
DO MIRRORS MAKE YOU LOOK MORE MUSCULAR
If we talk about the mirrors in a gym, then there’s a greater possibility that those mirrors will make you look more muscular. Mirrors in a gym are screwed on the wall which creates a bit of convex effect in them and resultantly, the image in the mirror appears a little stretched. This stretched image will make you look more muscular.
While with regular mirrors, the chances are not that high. Again lighting plays an insanely huge role in the difference in your image in the mirror. Intense lighting will definitely make you look more muscular as it will help in showcasing every detail of your body. Anyway, we have already mentioned the possibilities that might alter your appearance in a mirror and those apply to your muscles as well!
CONVEX MIRRORS VS. CONCAVE MIRRORS
Convex or concave mirrors are usually used in fun house distorting mirrors but are not limited to that only. Convex mirrors are curved forward and hence, they make you look bigger and wider.
Contrary to that, concave mirrors are bent inwards and they make the image appear tall and slim. But a slight concave and convex effect can also be achieved in regular mirrors. Mirrors with a slight concave effect can be used where a slim and tall image is desirable. Curved mirrors are used to achieve desirable effects; slim and tall, or wide and bigger. The convex and concave effect is also used in sight glasses, car mirrors, telescopes etc.
Why Do I Look Bigger in The Mirror
When you see yourself in the gym mirror or bathroom mirror you may wonder how big you are. What makes you look big? Is this mirror or something else? To summarize you look bigger in the mirror because your mirror might be concave, full size or you see your entire body in it.
There are several reasons that make you look bigger in the mirror:
- You look bigger as some mirrors are slightly concave to reflect you larger than original height
- Some mirrors are huge enough to present your compressed and large image. Such mirrors are hung in bathrooms and gym to show you bigger
- Lightning above the mirror also shows you bigger than the real size.
- In shadow, body cuts are enhanced due to lighting to show you bigger.
- You are not habitual to see your entire build in real life. When you see this in the mirror you perceive it as a third person and feel yourself bigger than the original image.
Do You Look Bigger in The Mirror
People often ask: Do you look bigger in the mirror?
Simply, YES, I do look bigger and skinnier in the gym mirror, wardrobe mirror and bathroom full-size mirror. But when I see myself in the mirror at home, I never look bigger. Why? The reason is the mirror itself, my perception about the entire body version and mirror science.
Certain mirrors are designed slightly concave from the middle to pose you longer. Such mirrors are normally huge in size to cover a full wall and to show your entire body. Full-size gym mirrors and bathroom mirrors reflect your body longer. But abnormal size home mirrors and dressing table mirrors will not show you skinnier quite often.
Some mirrors with lights adjusted on the above portion also tend to show you longer in height. When light is thrown from above, your reflection turns wider than the original. One more reason to look bigger in a mirror is slightly tilted mirrors towards the back. Because of these facts, you look bigger in the mirror.
Do Tilted Mirrors Make You Look Thinner
Tilted mirror users often ask that do tilted mirrors make you look thinner? The answer is YES, tilted mirrors can show you thinner if they are bent towards the back. Such mirrors tend to compress your body image to show you bigger than the original image. You can see such mirrors at the try section of the garment shop.
