"Merely as an observer of natural phenomena, I am fascinated by own appearance."
The first line of Robert Benchley's essay "My Face" states something rather obvious about human nature: our level of caring for our own appearance. While his motives may have been a tad different in the early twentieth century, it's remarkable how true this remains in today's generation.
"Each day I look like someone, or something, different."
Benchley states shortly after this that he has no idea what he'll look like until he observes it in the mirror. While I don't believe he is a shape-shifter, and I'm sure there's some deeper meaning here, but I wonder if the combination of a tired mind and, perhaps, a mind that *wants* to see someone (or something) else in the mirror is what drives the phenomena. Then he mentions that the days he doesn't look like anything shocks him back into bed, which may further support the idea that he isn't entirely happy with who he is. However, he is attempting to take a shot at himself with a humorous undertone.
"In some pictures I look even worse than I had imagined."
Another classic scenario that holds true today. It's almost as though our brains are designed to think we look far worse in pictures than we think we will. But, maybe, that's simply because the concept of being entirely still is unnatural. The world is always moving, and that it is in that lifelike movement that we look our best as opposed to one still frame that can amplify our faults.
"My only hope is that, in this constant metamorphosis which seems to be going on, a winning number may come up sometime, if only for a day."
Talk about depressing. I think he's longing for the day that he can wake up, stagger over to the mirror in a sleepy haze, and see a person that he is truly proud to be. One that doesn't take the form of someone else that he may envy, but instead reflects himself as an individual, or a human being that has achieved a life he deems worth living.
"As a matter of fact, my upper lip is pretty fascinating by itself, in a bizarre sort of way."
It's a shame we didn't get a sequel entitled "My Upper Lip". It might have been wonderful, if a bit shorter. Still, it's good to know that he intends to try to keep his head up high as he goes day after day. It tells us that, at the time, he still had hope for himself, and wasn't quite ready to let the daily metamorphosis become a truly permanent phenomena.
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