When you look in the mirror, do you break it or cry?

A new study conducted by Fandor Keyframe and De Filmkrant has reflected a startling truth: mirrors are very, very good at predicting a movie character's gender.

In the montage below, the two companies analyze the behavior of fictional film characters as they take a good look at themselves in the mirror. Apparently, in this unadulterated moment of self-reflection, male movie characters are likely to act destructively—they just can't temper the impulse to punch a giant hole in the mirror—while women are more likely to either cry, try not to cry, or chide themselves for crying. This, of course, aligns well with the gender stereotype (and clinically proven psychological perception) that men are more likely to experience anger and women are more likely to experience sadness.

From Man // Woman // Mirror:

This confrontation with the self often provokes an emotional response, which the essay proposes to be gendered. While female characters more often point their emotion inwards, ending up either crying or berating themselves for almost crying, men lash out, turning emotion into violence. There are counter-examples to both, of course, but taken together this type of scene definitely trends towards gender stereotypes.

Video is no longer available: vimeo.com/161961637