Story of O

Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses graphic sexual content, including depictions of bondage and sadomasochism and nonconsensual sexual encounters.

One of the first things O sees at Roissy while being prepared for the men by the other women is a “a mirror running from floor to ceiling and straight ahead of her, in plain view” (14). O notices mirrors everywhere she goes in the novel. The bathroom at Roissy has “mirrors entirely covering every wall” (33), Sir Stephen’s house is full of them, and so is the fashion agency where she works and the house where she goes to get Sir Stephen’s marks attached. In this way, mirrors are not arbitrary pieces of furniture but play an important role in O’s development and training. Mirrors exist as a way of forcing O to take a third-person perspective on her body and to participate in her own objectification. This is evident when Anne-Marie makes O look at herself in the mirror, after fitting the irons to her labia. As she says, “Sir Stephen or anyone else, you too before the mirror, whoever lifts up your skirt will immediately see the rings on your belly” (207).