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Who’s the fairest

Photo: T. Singaravelou

Fad Men seem to be in no mood to compromise on looks

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of all?” asked Snow White’s stepmother from the magical mirror. Step out of the fairy tales to face reality and you will find that even among human beings women and vanity go hand-in-hand. Bu t the emergence of the metrosexual man has set a brand new trend where an increasing number of men, conscious about their looks, are seen frequently pausing in front of a mirror to admire themselves.

Sanjana, a precocious teenager points out: “I don’t see girls doing their hair as often as I see the guys looking into the mirror on a bike or window glass of a car to comb their ruffled hair.” Checking on his looks in every available reflective surface has become second nature to men. Does it ring a bell? You probably must be reminded of the handsome Greek youth Narcissus who fell in love with his own reflection in a pool of water.

Sigmund Freud believed that some narcissism is an essential part of all of us from birth and it denotes vanity at its extreme. The mirror is said to be the prerogative of women and their make-up kits. But a new fact emerging of late is just the opposite. “I wish my pocket comb doubled up as a mirror. At least you don’t have to look around all the time for a bike with a mirror fixed to it or a passing car to settle your dishevelled hair.”

The history of mirrors dates back to ancient times when man first saw reflections in a pond or a river and thought it to be magic. Polished stone or metal was used in the first man-made mirrors. Later, glass was used in combination with metals like tin, mercury and lead to create mirrors.

Most of the modern mirrors are a combination of glass and metal.

Sanjay, a young entrepreneur, favours healthy narcissism, for he believes that it forms a constant, realistic self-interest and mature goals and principles, besides an ability to achieve goals. Healthy narcissism can also spur an individual to feel great, making him think big and attain his goals with remarkable ease.

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