The Mirror’s Truth: Do Looks Really Matter?

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”
This quote struck me with the thought: Do looks really matter?
It can be quite a topic for a high school debate.

Looks do matter for an 18-year-old boy who sees a girl and instantly falls in love with her pretty face.
They matter to a 22-year-old girl competing in a Miss World competition against a pretty girl.
They matter to a 28-year-old woman marrying the love of her life in four months and wanting to shine on her sangeet night.
They matter to a 30-year-old man who has been bullied all his life for being overweight.
They matter to a 35-year-old woman who is constantly reminded by everyone around her that she has acne and can’t find a partner.

I remember waking up all night trying to perfect my eyeliner for a date, watching YouTube tutorials on how to ace a smoked eye makeup.
So, yes, looks must matter. Harsh, but true.
But the purest form of love is beyond looks.
The one which is your father’s strength.
The one which is your mother’s resilience.
The one which is your partner’s care.
The one you see when you look at yourself in a mirror.

But does the mirror tell the truth?
On some days, I feel like the prettiest girl when I look into the mirror; on others, it’s the bloated stomach, the undone eyebrows, the stomach folds, the acne that just won’t go away. It truly depends on the day I’m looking at myself.
Is it the day I aced an interview? Is it the day I went to the gym and had the best workout? Is it the day I was most productive at work? Is it the day I got a good news?
Maybe it’s just the day I feel most confident about myself.

It might be okay to look for flaws on your good day, but on your bad day, cheering yourself up is the truth one looks for in a mirror. Your mind wanders and searches for compassion and kindness in your heart.
To slow it down, to talk it out into believing that what the mirror shows you is not the truth you live by.

PS: To anyone having bad day, you got this:)