Get The Skinny On A New 'Shark Tank' Product

For better or for worse, what you see in the mirror everyday helps form your self-image, and one woman hopes to use that to help others build confidence. Though it has that noble intention, the Skinny Mirror, appearing on Shark Tank this Friday night, unfortunately aims to do so by making users look slimmer, instead of helping them love their own bodies. But will the Sharks like what they see and give this product a deal?

The Skinny Mirror has to try to win over Mark Cuban, Kevin O'Leary, Daymond John, Lori Greiner, or Robert Herjavec first. Whether or not a Shark decides to invest in it really just depends on the product's sales up to that point and its potential to earn more money in the future, so they're likely not too concerned with its troubling correlation of slimness, beauty, and confidence. That being said, Kevin, who seems to make offers on anything; Lori, who could probably find success for it on QVC; and Daymond, Shark Tank's resident fashion guru; all seem like prime potential partners for this product.

As we all know, anything can happen in the Tank, but The Skinny Mirror is such a fascinating product, it's going to be interesting to see it pitched on the show. Here's the skinny on The Skinny Mirror before it makes its TV debut.

It's Exactly What It Sounds Like

You should understand what a product is from its name, so The Skinny Mirror definitely accomplishes that. The Skinny Mirror is a mirror that gives back a reflection that makes the viewer look five to 10 pounds lighter.

It's Designed To Help Change How You View Yourself

The Skinny Mirror is meant to help women boost their self-confidence and how they see themselves, which can often be distorted from reality anyway. According to Skinny Mirror's website, some mirrors can actually make people look five to 10 pounds heavier if it's cheap and has a flimsy frame or poor mounting, and unfortunately, that could give many people negative feelings about their bodies. The goal of The Skinny Mirror is to make all who use it feel better about themselves — if only there was a way it could do that without relying on the perpetuated, false notion that confidence and beauty come from being thin.

The Founder Invented It After Her Own Mirror Experience

The Skinny Mirror was invented by Belinda Jasmine, who was inspired to create the product after discovering that an old mirror she had found in the attic had been making her look heavier and shorter for three years. According to The Skinny Mirror's website, Jasmine felt bad about herself, and when a friend of hers pointed out that the mirror was changing her reflection, she realized that its old, warped frame distorted the glass, and began to work on creating a solution. When Jasmine first looked at herself in The Skinny Mirror prototype, she "stood up taller, felt more attractive, and all the areas of concern with my body that I had before didn’t exist anymore," she wrote on the product's website. "For the first time in a long time, I actually liked what I saw in the mirror." Now she's hoping to inspire that same feeling in others, but she should know that everyone has different relationships with their own bodies, and there are ways to increase confidence that have nothing to do with physical appearance — specifically weight.

You Can Look In The Skinny Mirror Now

If you think the effect of The Skinny Mirror is something you just have to see to believe, you can buy it now through the product's official online store. The Skinny Mirror starts at $99 and comes in a wide variety of sizes, colors, and finishes. You can even customize your Skinny Mirror to fit your lifestyle and personality.

It Has Its Critics

Though it seems like The Skinny Mirror wants to be all about positivity and making people feel good about themselves, some people think the product doesn't help people so much as it deceives them, as discussed by The Daily Mail, which can be damaging. Along those lines, there's also the fact that The Skinny Mirror has the potential to be used by clothing stores to sell more product to consumers in a not-so-totally-honest way, as Business Insider pointed out, although the mirrors do display The Skinny Mirror's logo to be more transparent to customers.

Hoda Kotb & Jenna Bush Hager Tried It So You Don't Have To

During an episode of TODAY in January of this year, Hoda and Jenna tried The Skinny Mirror on for size. Overall, Hoda and Jenna were fans of The Skinny Mirror, but that doesn't mean the Sharks, or Shark Tank viewers, will feel the same way.

Images: Michael Desmond/ABC; Giphy (2); Allen Skyy/Flickr; NBC