--- title: IKEA Motivational Mirror Ad: Talking Mirror Gives Compliment description: Stick to the Swedish meatballs? canonical: https://time.com/3481899/ikea-made-a-talking-mirror-that-basically-just-tells-you-youre-pretty-all-day/ author: Laura Stampler article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-10-08T18:02:38.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:48:23.414Z og:title: IKEA Made a Talking Mirror That Basically Just Tells You You're Pretty All Day og:description: Stick to the Swedish meatballs? og:url: https://time.com/3481899/ikea-made-a-talking-mirror-that-basically-just-tells-you-youre-pretty-all-day/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: IKEA Made a Talking Mirror That Basically Just Tells You You're Pretty All Day twitter:description: Stick to the Swedish meatballs? twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # IKEA Made A Talking Mirror That Basically Just Tells You You're Pretty All Day by [Laura Stampler](https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Oct 8, 2014 6:02 PM UTC by [Laura Stampler](https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Oct 8, 2014 6:02 PM UTC Meet IKEA’s [“Motivational Mirror”](http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/about%5Fikea/newsitem/motivational%5Fmirror) — a wall accessory whose only job is to deliver effusive, 100% genuine compliments like “Magnificent beard!” and “Your eyes are mesmerizing!” and “Darling, your dress looks amazing!” (Even though it kind of looks like a shirt… but it’s the thought that counts.)  IKEA The Swedish furniture retailer put the promotional mirror in a British store last week, “bestowing personalised compliments to provide the nation with a much needed morale boost,” according to a [statement](http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/about%5Fikea/newsitem/motivational%5Fmirror). IKEA-commissioned research found 44% of people in the UK are critical of their appearance and 26% say they feel uncomfortable looking in a mirror. _BUT_ 26% also said that “a kind word” makes them like themselves more. And thus, a [Dove-esque](http://www.businessinsider.com/how-doves-real-beauty-sketches-became-the-most-viral-ad-video-of-all-time-2013-5) empowerment stunt was born. Except, instead of having consumers come to the conclusion that they are really more beautiful than they think they are on their own, IKEA has a far more reliable source — a mirror programmed with audio — do it for them. This is actually a familiar trope. [Adweek](http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/ikea-gets-dove-mirror-tells-you-how-beautiful-you-are-160582) notes, “the inspirational talking mirror idea has been done before—most notably by the [all-female Austin band The Mrs.,](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuoBEJ9DkJM) but also [by other marketers.](http://vimeo.com/102627835)” Sure, compliments can be nice, but it is a tad on the creepy side — particularly when a man in a blue button down, showing _just_ enough chest hair, is stopped by the mirror … whistling at him.  IKEA (Yes, that is an animation of a cat calling wolf). It’s an odd choice to make unsolicited whistling — street harassment is a very real issue [women face on a daily basis](http://time.com/3144715/street-harassment-catcalling/)— look cutesy, but at least the customer doesn’t seem to mind. “It was great for me because I never get compliments,” the man recalls, wistfully. “I could have stood there all day, to be honest.” Still, maybe IKEA should stick to its specialty: flat-pack furniture, ball pits and Swedish meatballs. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3481899/ikea-made-a-talking-mirror-that-basically-just-tells-you-youre-pretty-all-day/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3481899/ikea-made-a-talking-mirror-that-basically-just-tells-you-youre-pretty-all-day/"},"headline":"IKEA Made A Talking Mirror That Basically Just Tells You You're Pretty All Day","datePublished":"2014-10-08T18:02:38.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:48:23.414Z","description":"Stick to the Swedish meatballs?","url":"https://time.com/3481899/ikea-made-a-talking-mirror-that-basically-just-tells-you-youre-pretty-all-day/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Living","society","viral","Body Image","Opinion topic","Advertisement"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Laura Stampler","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3481899/ikea-made-a-talking-mirror-that-basically-just-tells-you-youre-pretty-all-day/","name":"IKEA Made A Talking Mirror That Basically Just Tells You You're Pretty All Day"}}]}] ```