CHALLENGE # ONE: A test of vanity

I do not consider myself a particularly vain person. I take only about half an hour to get ready for the day (this excludes eating but includes a shower). I do not find myself prancing around in front of a mirror making different cliche poses to see which pose is sexier. I prefer to go out on a hike than to the bar (although I absolutely love to dance to live music), out on a climb rather than shopping and I would rather paint a pretty picture than put makeup all over my face.

However, I do find that anytime I enter a room with a mirror I do a quick check to see if I look nice and when I go into a bathroom without a mirror, I feel slightly disconcerted and miffed. I do like to wear form fitting clothing, jewelry and a bit of mascara. I do very admittedly like to feel pretty.

So, the question is: how vain am I really? How easily can I live without a mirror to aid me in my quick morning routine, to reassure me with an image of myself daily?

Of course, I have been on long hikes and outdoor trips without the daily advantage and vain enablement of a mirror. These hikes though were far from the society that I live in day to day. Far from my friends, work place, town and day to day life.

A true test of my vanity would be to remove mirrors from my life entirely (within reason) for a set amount of time. This is exactly what I am going to do. How vain am I really? How will the absence of a mirror affect my daily life? What lessons about myself and society will I learn... if any? Here are my rules and guidelines for this challenge:

1. This challenge is to last a total of 14 days starting tomorrow, September 8th, 2010.
2. I must cover or turn the mirrors around in my own home and not undo this until my challenge time is achieved. I will also not look intentionally or directly into a reflective surface in my home.
3. At work, other peoples homes, businesses, etc. I must not look directly and intentionally into a mirror or reflective surface. This may be difficult, but I must avoid looking to be truthful to this challenge. If I am driving, I of course will still look into the mirrors... this is a safety issue and I am not going to compromise my safety. However, I can easily avoid maintaining longer than needed glances in the vehicle mirrors.
4. I must refrain from asking others for their opinions of what I look like. For example: "Does my hair look okay?" This is not something that I normally do, but in the absence of a mirror I may be tempted to have visual approval as a safety net.
5. I will write at least twice of my thoughts and experiences during this challenge.