Do you like what you see when you look in the mirror? Whether you’re a hero or not, a devil or not, there is something about looking into that reflective sheet of glass and wondering whether you are a good person or not. Movie heroes often do this for dramatic effect that is largely felt in real life as well. The effort of trying to see what lies past the reflection, to see what’s inside is usually why people will spend any time looking in the mirror. The act of washing your face serves two initial purposes, one is to obviously get clean, and the other is cool off, wake up, or use the cold splash of liquid to gain a bit of clarity. That is one obvious reason why people do this.
Here are a couple other reasons why movie heroes was their face in the mirror.
Do you see what others see?
A lot of people view movie heroes as upstanding and upright individuals. They’re often beyond reproach and don’t get picked apart, at least not in film, by their supporters. This however can create a very big sense of false confidence in the hero and minimize any faults they might have while building up their strengths and positive qualities to an unreasonable level. This can place just as much stress upon the hero as it does on anyone and as a result they might need to try and “wash away” the face that others see to find out if they can peer past the veneer and see something, or someone, that is truly worthy of that praise.
It’s a way to come down.
When riding the ultimate high of one’s life by being idolized and revered in such a manner those heroes that aren’t entirely comfortable with the spotlight can get a little tense. Washing their face in the mirror is like a cold slap to the senses and allows them to cool down a bit as well as get themselves under control. Usually when the hero needs to remind themselves of who they are, what they do, and how badly they need a modicum of control they will find themselves in front of the mirror, possibly wetting down their face to cool things down for a moment.
They need the reality check.
Sometimes getting lost in the persona they create is very easy and it must be reaffirmed that they are still in fact the same person. Washing their face is very symbolic in that regard as involves a mental process through which they are washing off the superhero to reveal the real person underneath. This might sound a little cheesy but in essence the life of a superhero is very cerebral as well as physical. The psychological turmoil that superheroes go through is strong enough that at times just washing one’s face in the mirror can be a type of therapy that can help combat the stronger, more dangerous feelings of disconnecting from the desired reality of their actual self.
It could just be that they have a dirty face or it could be a moment of silent introspection. Whatever the reason movie heroes almost always have an ulterior motive for washing their face in front of the mirror.
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