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Above: Bullring bosses explain their decision

Birmingham’s Bullring shopping centre is covering some of its changing room mirrors with black paper as part of a bizarre new trial aimed at boosting the self-confidence of its shoppers.

Bosses said changing room mirrors might make shoppers look “unflattering” when trying on new clothing.

They said people should “buy an outfit based on whether or not it makes them feel fabulous, not how unflattering changing room mirrors make them look”.

(Image: Dale Martin)

Hammerson, which co-owns Bullring, has launched the project following a survey which found that 77 per cent of women in the West Midlands do not feel confident buying a new outfit having looked at themselves in changing room mirrors.

Maggie Foggett, marketing manager of Bullring, said: “One of the main reasons people come to our shopping centres is to buy clothes, whether that be a brand new wardrobe or a one off item for a special occasion.

“We want to ensure that everyone feels comfortable and confident when trying on clothes, so that’s why we’re trialing banning the mirrors.

“We hope that women in particular will try something on and feel gorgeous and glamorous! Hopefully this will be a success and we can roll it out across our shopping centres for the summer.”

Around a third of shops in selected Hammerson’s centres, including Bullring, have signed up to take part.

(Image: Dale Martin)

The trail, which started yesterday, will continue for the next week then customer feedback will be analysed and the next step will be assessed as to whether the ban continues over the coming months.

The survey of 1,000 women, by research company Mortar, also found that more than half (52%) of those surveyed had low self-esteem when looking at themselves in a mirror.

A fashion expert at Birmingham City University says it’s a mistake to cover up mirrors in clothes shops and that staff should be working to boost shoppers’ self-confidence instead.

“Women like to try stuff on – it’s part of the fun and part of the experience – we take our mates, get an opinion, but at the end of the day the mirror never lies and we know when something doesn’t look right,” said Alison Rapsey, course director of Fashion Business and Promotion at Birmingham City University.

“One size doesn’t fit all and with a myriad of shapes and sizes for retailers to contend with – just removing the mirror is not going to boost self-confidence."

She added: “There is change afoot however, as we have also seen a growth in new in-store technology and magic mirrors with brands like Harvey Nichols in Birmingham and Rebecca Minkoff in New York using these for a more personal experience.

“It works as a combination of holding up a virtual garment to a mirror image of yourself to see how it fits without the hassle of undressing – faster and stress free – and staff are always on hand to aid the process.

“So should retailers be removing mirrors? NO. Use them to adopt the more personal connection, get staff back in these spaces to work with consumers and build confidence the old fashioned way – service.”

The initiative is also running in Bristol Cabot Circus and Croydon Centrale.

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