On Saturday I did what every woman dreads. I tried on bathing suits. No matter how much you've exercised and dieted, the experience leaves you feeling fat and flabby, and if you've been really bad about the exercise and diet thing lately ... well, curling up in a corner and crying seems like an appropriate response.

But, you know, the stores could improve this experience if they would just put in the proper mirrors. We all know that some mirrors make you look thinner -- excuse me, I mean they accurately reflect your body -- while others add pounds and bulges, apparently from sheer malice. And who needs a malicious mirror? Especially one that reflects you in a bathing suit.

I'm sure we've all had the experience of looking in two different mirrors while wearing the same outfit, and seeing two different bodies reflected. The real problem is that we don't know which one is right. So we try to catch our reflection in store windows and unexpected mirrors. I'm pretty sure we're thinking that if we see ourselves unexpectedly we'll see the "real" person. But even the surprise glimpses are different -- in this one you look great, in that one you look overweight.

There are standards for alomost everything we use: light bulbs, measuring cups, appliances, thread count for sheets, horsepower for engines, you name it, someone has set standards for it. So why can't they regulate mirrors? Wouldn't it be nice if the mirrors came with a label, "F" for "makes you look fatter". "T" for "makes you look thinner" and "A" for "accurate reflection." If we had those standards, stores could put in the "T" mirrors. Bet they would sell a lot more bathing suits!