Man in the Mirror
Your own reflection
"Man in the Mirror" is a 1988 Michael Jackson song about self-examination and personal change as the starting point for improving the world.
The phrase has become shorthand for looking honestly at yourself before criticizing others: If you want things to change, start with the man in the mirror.
The mirror metaphor—confronting your own reflection—resonates beyond the song.
- reflectionReturned light or thought
- looking glassArchaic word for mirror
- selfOne's own being
- inner selfPrivate essential identity
- true selfOne's genuine identity
glass · Michael Jackson · King of Pop · change · soul · gaze · hard look · truth · introspection · self reflection · face · face to face · image · eyes · transformation · conscience · looking · vanity
- Michael JacksonThriller, Billie Jean, Beat It, moonwalk, Bad
Man in the Mirrorblame-shifting
Attributing fault to others
scapegoating · passing the buck · blame game · finger-pointing · someone else's problem
Man in the Mirrorprojection
Something that extends outward
self-deception · willful blindness · denial · blind spot · looking the other way
Man in the Mirrorcomplacency
Uncritical satisfaction with oneself
apathy · slacktivism · armchair activism · learned helplessness · bystander effect
mirror, manliness, manhood, unmanned, manning, manned, mirrors, mirrored, mirroring