Mirror Wars: Living in a Body That Feels Like an Enemy

“ If I’m pretty, will you like me?”

— Beach Bunny, “Prom Queen”

The Shift That No One Notices

No one really knows when you start, hating the way you look. It’s not like some dramatic event where someone wakes up and suddenly hates what they see in the mirror. It’s slower than that, sneakier.

One day, you’re brushing your teeth or fixing your hair like usual. The next, you're tugging at your shirt, turning sideways, staring too long, wondering if your face changed or if it's just the lighting.

It’s not even about vanity. It’s about confusion. How does something you’ve lived in for years start to feel so unfamiliar?

For teens, that confusion turns into obsession really fast. Every mirror becomes a checkpoint. Every photo is a test. Every scroll on Instagram becomes proof that other people are doing this whole "existing" thing better.

No one says it out loud. No one walks into school saying, "I feel like I'm failing at having a body today." But they feel it. In locker rooms. In trial rooms. In group photos.

And once it begins, it’s hard to stop seeing yourself with criticism instead of as an imperfect perfect human being.

Insecurity Doesn’t Look Like Sadness

It’s not just about crying in front of a mirror , or being visibly upset. Insecurity wears a thousand disguises.

It can look like constantly checking your weight, avoiding crop tops, rechecking your reflection in every shiny surface you pass. Or constantly comparing your body to someone else's while scrolling on social media.

It shows up when you hide your face in, or when you crop yourself in photos . It even shows up in silence. In the comments you don't say when someone compliments you. In the way you look down when someone pulls out a camera.

It’s Not Just a Girl Thing

People always talk about girls and body image. And yeah, it hits girls hard. But it hits guys too. They just don't get the space to say it.

A lot of boys feel like they have to be quiet about it. They’re supposed to be strong, chill, unaffected. But they're not.

Some of them are hiding eating disorders behind gym obsessions. Some can't wear certain clothes without thinking they look scrawny or bloated. Some feel small even if they're tall. Some feel like they're never lean enough or built enough or cool-looking enough.

Insecurity doesn’t care about gender. It affects most teens that give enough shits to care. 

So What Now?

Maybe there’s no perfect ending to this. No grand solution. No “just love yourself” advice that magically works overnight. Because some days, the mirror still lies. Some days, no compliment feels believable. And some days, the insecurities win.

But what if the point isn’t to silence the insecurities completely? What if it’s just about learning how to live without letting your insecurities be the loudest voice in the room? Maybe it’s about not being at war with your reflection all the time, just calling.

Because no one talks enough about how normal this is. How common. How shared. And maybe if they did, fewer people would be stuck hating a body that’s already doing so much just to survive. Maybe it’s not about falling in love with your appearance — maybe it’s just about not seeing it as the enemy anymore.

And if any of this hit even a little too close? Talk to someone,  A friend, a therapist, literally anyone you trust. Just getting the words out helps more than you’d think, trust me when I say this. 

“Wish I was like you, blue-eyed blondie, perfect body.

Maybe I should try harder, you should lower your expectations — I’m no quick curl Barbie.”

— Beach Bunny, “Prom Queen”