Mirrors should be present in school restrooms because they play an important role in students’ confidence and well-being. When schools remove restroom mirrors, students lose a simple way to check their appearance and feel comfortable before returning to class. This can cause unnecessary stress or self-consciousness, especially during long school days. Mirrors help students feel prepared, confident, and ready to focus on learning. According to a student interview conducted at APB, many students expressed that being able to see themselves helps reduce anxiety and keeps them focused in class. Bringing mirrors back would support a more positive and supportive school environment for everyone.
One reason mirrors should be brought back to school restrooms is that they help build self-confidence. Being able to see oneself and feel comfortable with one’s appearance can provide reassurance and reduce self-doubt. This reassurance can positively affect a student’s mood and mindset throughout the day. Henry Avila, an 11th-grade student, explained how the removal of mirrors affected him, stating, “I didn’t really like it when they took away the mirrors. It kinda made me sad and then even more mad when they took away the phones, ’cause now I can’t even look at myself. It makes me more anxious as the school day goes on.” Henry explains how mirrors help him and other students manage anxiety and feel grounded during the school day. When Henry explains that not being able to see himself makes him “more anxious as the school day goes on,” it reflects a common feeling among students about the absence of mirrors.
Another reason mirrors should be reinstalled is that they help students feel reassured and prevent unnecessary attention that could lead to bullying. Mirrors allow students to notice if something looks out of place, such as messy hair or stains on clothing, before returning to class. Matthew Occhea shared how mirrors helped him feel put together, saying, “The mirror used to help me keep my hair nice. They let me look good—now I feel like I look like cheese puffs when I don’t have the mirrors.” Similarly, Kairy Robles, an 11th grader, stated, “I tried to become more self-aware about my looks because I didn’t want my hair to look bad or for me to look dirty in a sense.” By helping students feel confident in their appearance, mirrors can reduce distractions and help students stay focused on learning rather than worrying about how they look. Having these mirrors back in our restroom would help our students and peers feel more safe and aware of their looks. These students want to look as presentable to the world as possible because that feeling of people judging you and you not being sure if you have something wrong with your appearance is not a great feeling.
Mirrors should also be reimplemented in school restrooms to promote hygiene. Hygiene is an important part of a student’s school life because it helps prevent the spread of germs and bacteria. Mirrors give students the opportunity to wash their faces, check for stains on clothing, or fix things in their hair that they may not notice otherwise. Many APB students have expressed concerns about not being able to see issues on their face or clothing. Freshman soccer player Eusebio Robles described how moving from a school with mirrors to one without them made him feel uncomfortable, stating, “I feel sad because I can’t look at myself in the mirror in case I’m having a bad hair day.” This demonstrates how mirrors support both hygiene and personal care, helping students feel clean, confident, and ready to learn. This can also help the student remove any stains or smudges they are unable to see and only visible through a mirror.
