A Very Sad Fact: Forever21 (and other stores) trick you into thinking you look hotter in their clothes than you actually do.

How do they do this?

Through the clever use of tilted mirrors, which tilt towards you at the bottom and gradually tilt away from you at the top. This trick makes you appear “smaller” by gradually moving the largest part of your body (your torso) away from the smallest part of your body (your feet) . Think of it as a reconfigured Funhouse mirror, distorting your body to make you look thinner (and buy more) rather than to make you laugh. You can try this yourself at home by tilting the bottom of a mirror toward you, while tilting the top of a mirror away from you.

Funny mirrors aren’t the only way stores like Forever21 “enhance” your appearance while trying on clothes. They also use soft, amber lighting (aka “Oprah Light”), that makes even the most aesthetically challenged of us look hot (like how EVERYONE in Oprah’s audience looks like they just had a facial). This light makes your skin look better by evening out your skin tone.

Looking hotter is not a problem, except for the fact that Forever21 has a ridiculous return policy, which is basically no return policy (you can only exchange items for store credit). So, short of carrying your own full length mirror with you when you shop the store, how you find out if an Forever21 items REALLY look good on you? Well here’s some tips…

– Forever21 does offer returns on items purchased via www.forever21.com – so try on in store, but buy online.

– The mirrors on the sales floor tend to be pretty standard mirrors, so you can, if you’re brave, check yourself out in the mirrors on the sales floor

– Forever21 sales associates tend to be brutally (emphasis on brutally) honest, so ask them for their thoughts.

– Bring an honest friend who has no qualms about telling you the truth.