Girl at Mirror

This image, Girl at Mirror, was painted in 1954 by Norman Rockwell. The little girl, maybe ten years old, is analyzing her face in the mirror, seemingly comparing it to the woman's face in the magazine that sits on her lap. Her expression appears disappointed with the reflection that she sees as she touches her cheeks. Strewn on the ground beside her is lipstick, a hair brush, and a comb. She has seemingly discarded her doll, as it lays on the ground on its side. I believe that this painting represents the apprehension that young girls experience to becoming women. The girl in the image is clearly very young, and not quite yet of the typical age to be concerned with makeup. However, after seeing the woman in the magazine, she has tossed aside her doll, and become focused on and disappointed by her appearance. The doll, symbolizing her youth and childhood, is not a priority to her any longer. She even wears a white dress, symbolizing her innocence and purity, contrasting with the dark tones of the painting surrounding her, symbolizing her dark doubts and fears about becoming a woman. The anxiety she holds is present on her face as she compares her reflection with the woman in the magazine, maybe wondering if she's beautiful enough for womanhood. The models in the magazines give young girls an incredibly unrealistic idea of what you should look or be like as a woman, and because of that, I think that is girl is afraid of leaving her childhood.