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"Whether it's a bad hair day or a skin breakout, everyone has one of those mornings when they don't like what they see in the mirror. Everyone, that is, except Kjerstin Gruys.\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\nThe Ph.D. candidate at UCLA is spending the entire year without looking at herself\u2014in mirrors, tagged Facebook photos, or even reflective surfaces. \\\"I never really thought of abandoning mirrors until I was trying on wedding dresses. I had so many high hopes, and it fell short on every expectation,\\\" Gruys told me. \\\"I felt critical of my body, and the styles I liked were out of my price point. The mirror was what I decided I hated at that moment. I wasn't going to give up feeling beautiful or finding a beautiful dress; I just hated mirrors.\\\"\\n\\n                   \\n\\nWhen I asked her who she hopes to see in the mirror in a year, she said the most important thing is \\\"to have an appreciation of myself as a whole person.\\\" Then she challenged me to go one full day without looking in a mirror (an idea my editor just loved). Whether I liked it or not, I was in. Here's how my day played out:\\n\\n\\n\\n__9 a.m.__ I wake up and go to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. How bad could my bedhead *really* be?\\n\\n\\n\\n__9:30 a.m.__ Judging by my roommates' faces, pretty bad. I jump in the shower, spray on some [Sachajuan Leave In Conditioner,](http://www.allure.com/beauty-products/hair/conditioner/2012/sachajuan-leave-in-conditioner) and pull my hair into a sleek bun.\\n\\n\\n\\n__10 a.m.__ Is that a zit on my cheek? I can't look in the mirror, and touching it will only make it worse. By this point, I'm convinced it's the size of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Must. Not. Touch. My. Face.\\n\\n\\n\\n__10:30 a.m.__ I apply a light layer of foundation with my fingers and blindly dab a little concealer onto my blemish. My roommate encourages me to blend a little more. \\\"Um, yeah, it's still kind of noticeable.\\\" In girl talk this translates to \\\"I don't know how to tell you this nicely, but it's freakin' huge.\\\"\\n\\n\\n\\n__12 p.m.__ We decide to take a walk around the neighborhood. I'm used to adjusting my hair or clothes in store windows, but today I actually look at what they're selling inside instead. Not that I'm going to buy anything\u2014how do you try on clothes without a mirror?\\n\\n\\n\\n__3 p.m.__ I notice that the shoes I threw on don't match my outfit at all. Great.\\n\\n\\n\\n__5 p.m.__ My friend suggests inviting a group of guys over to watch the VMAs. I pray they have other plans.\\n\\n\\n\\n__8 p.m.__ They do\u2014thank goodness\u2014so I clean my face and put on my favorite face mask. Hopefully it will calm the inflammation by morning.\\n\\n\\n\\n__11 p.m.__ It's time for bed. I can't decide whether I'm nervous or excited to see my reflection tomorrow.\\n\\n\\n\\n__9 a.m.__ I wake up to find a face full of blemishes. If I had seen this yesterday, I probably would have spent an hour in front of the mirror trying to cover it. I also might have been able to spot-treat the blemishes and avoid this flare-up altogether.\\n\\n\\n\\nBefore the experiment, I had no idea how many mirrors I encountered on a regular basis. I couldn't just leave my pocket mirror at home and call it a day. There are mirrors in restrooms, restaurants, store displays\u2014all begging for me to fix a flyaway, adjust my skirt, or swipe on another layer of lipstick. But ironically, not looking in the mirror actually made me even more hyper-aware and self-critical. I was constantly asking my friends if my hair was sticking up or if my acne was more noticeable\u2014which I could have dealt with quickly and discreetly with a concealer pen and a hand mirror. To me, it was self-consciousness, not self-reflection, that was the root of the problem. Avoiding mirrors won't solve my insecurities\u2014looking into one and learning to love (not necessarily always *like*) what I see will."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.allure.com/story/a-year-without-mirrors>