Today, I had a terrible hair day. 

I got little schoolwork done due to the nagging fear that all eyes were on the humidity-induced monstrosity on top of my head. 

I decided to go to the little ladies’ room to check myself out and get my rat’s nest in order, but to my dismay, there were opaque plastic rectangles in place of the usual mirrors hanging above the sinks. 

The removal of the mirrors in the girls’ bathrooms may seem trivial to the administration, but as students, our freedoms in the school setting are already limited, and it feels like our rights are continuing to dwindle as Bryan High becomes increasingly prison-like by the day. 

The reasoning behind the mirrors’ removal was that female students had been spending too much time looking at their reflections; it wasn’t even my decision, but I experienced secondhand stupidity saying it. 

Now, I recognize that bathroom privileges have been abused in the past, but it hardly seems fair to sentence every single girl in the school to a life of checking themselves out in the paper towel dispenser. 🙁

 Additionally, if the SUPER GENIUS and SUPER CONVENIENT digital hall pass system is of any use, then this should have fixed the loitering issue. Since the implementation of the hall pass system, students have a maximum of 10 minutes to go to the restroom, so as long as students don’t exceed this time frame, it seems unnecessary to strip us of our ability to partake in a healthy dose of vanity now and then. 

Not only does this development inconvenience students, but it’s also especially insensitive to female students. Taking mirrors away is a critical hit to those who are self-conscious about their appearance. 

Today, many students struggle with body dysmorphic disorder, which leads to a frequent need to check one’s appearance for reassurance. Although this is an unfortunate tendency, the alternative is for the individual to become incapable of taking their mind off of their insecurities.

If the school administration intended to limit distractions and increase the focus of students by removing the mirrors, their efforts are completely and utterly counterproductive.

 Not only does it cause students to obsess over what they may look like, but it also leads us to resort to the use of phones to check our appearances, which is arguably just as bad as “wasting time” looking in a bathroom mirror for a few mere moments.