“Mirror, it is something that ruins my life, but I still use it everyday.” 16 year old Daria rolled out of bed reluctantly, as she had done hundreds of times before. She then entered her room where she approached a tall white mirror next to a small window, she sat before it and took a long look at her tired face. “Dark circles, puffy cheeks, and new blemishes.” “Well this will be a fun morning.” Daria said aloud talking to her reflection. She took another moment to think of what color shirt and eyeshadow she should wear. she looked in the mirror to imagine different colors. as she came to the conclusion of brown, she noticed her eyes where dilated.

she inched closer to the mirror only to realize her reflection wasn’t moving. Terror arose in her as she said aloud “ hm that’s weird, oh I forgot something in the other room” She walked out of her room moving briskly as if to make it seem she wasn’t afraid. she found another mirror and with terrible fear looked at the image staring back, this time it appeared to be her reflection. she sighed with great relief and went to get ready.

as she sat back down her eyes started to betray her heart, and she stared for to long. I must have gained weight, she thought, she then started her makeup when she noticed her body again appeared to have put on 10 pounds just while she was sitting there. Her face started to become pale and dull, and her features started to shift. She tried to see clearly but tears blurred her eyes as she started to cry. hundreds of ideas flooded her head of how to appear “better” when she opened her eyes almost everything was back to normal, accept her eyes where filled with tears and her makeup was running down her cheeks. Then she noticed her expression change from self sorrow, to pity, then her appearance went back to the previous one. the figure staring back glared at her, shaking her head, now with an offended look on her face. Daria didn’t feel fear this time, instead she felt embarrassment.

They stared at each other for a few minutes until Daria asked, “your her?” “Am I?” the image replied. “ I’m not sure, I don’t know what I look like anymore, the person I am, the person others see, and the person I see in the mirror all seem to be different beings.” Daria exclaimed. “ you cry over me, and they way I appear when your not even certain of who I am? How do you think that would make me feel?” The figure replied “ I’m so sorry, I would have never said that to someone other than myself.” Replied Daria “ oh, so you think I care that you said it? No it doesn’t matter that you said it, that’s the way you feel is it not? And you say you would never say this to someone else other then yourself? Who are you to treat yourself that way? Enlighten me Daria.” The figure said angrily. “ I do feel that way. But I look exactly like you, or I think so, honestly, it wouldn’t be as hard to love myself in any body I just want the chance to, every time I try, my body, my face, my whole appearance seems to change, I don’t know who I am.” Daria replied. “ Daria, you are you. You have never truly seen yourself, only your reflection, anyone else who sees you, sees you more clearly then you do. you are you, and I am your body. We are not related, we are not alike, I don’t know who you are, and you don’t know who I am. when people see me they don’t know you, but when they know you they lose sight of me, all I am is a body. you think I’m yours, your hard on every part of yourself, so makes sense that you would hate on me. Your mind is twisting your eyes! you wanna know what you like like? Break this mirror. See clearly, yourself is not in this mirror you won’t find her here. this world won’t allow you to see what you truly look like, not in your reflection. it has blinded you which is why I appear different every day. Now see clearly.” The figure then disappeared and Daria looked in the mirror, she looked how she did before the figure appeared, how she did everyday since the last time she grew, only she didn’t even notice that. That day she went to school wearing that shirt that she had considered wearing each day for the past year, she wore no makeup, her hair frizzy and curly, she wore her heart on her face. And she looked like herself. Truly herself.