Vain

Vanity:

-noun

1) excessive pride in one's appearance, qualities, abilities, achievements, etc.; character or quality of being vain; conceit

2) something about which one is vain

3) lack of real value; hollowness; worthlessness: the vanity of a selfish life

4) something worthless, trivial, or pointless

Origin:

1200–50; ME vanite <>vānitās, equiv. to vān- (see vain ) +-itās- -ity

Synonyms:

egotism, complacency, vainglory, ostentation. See pride. 4.emptiness, sham, unreality, folly, triviality, futility.

Antonyms:

humility

Now that you know as much about Vanity as I do, I shall add on my two cents (an expression which I have never fully understood). Anywho, "Vanity" is a thing that you cannot go one single day with out stumbling across it. "Beautiful" celebrities, models, and everyday people obsess daily in front of the mirror. (Of course I too must admit to spending a bit of my time most mornings looking into my own reflection as I cover 'blemishes' and 'fix' my hair.) But why do we all do this? One of the conclusions I have come to is this . . . people care way too much what others think of them. Whether it's a pride thing (see synonyms above) or not, most everyone cares what someone else thinks whether they want to or not. And yet again I ask: WHY? Why do people care what other people think of them??? Not like it truly matters in most cases. Yes of course I do understand that it will matter in job interviews and such, yet on a regular day-to-day basis no one should give a rat's pa-tootie what some judgmental "friend" has to say about the way they look, dress, or their self-worth for that matter. And the thing is . . . if GOD made us exactly the way we are, then why do we insist on changing that just to please some earthly mold or trend. (Yet again I must admit to following fashion "trends" at risk of being horribly labeled a hypocrite. Of course we are not all perfect.)

Complements are also a Vanity-related subject. Personally, when someone tells me I'm "pretty" in the sense of looks, I either try to deflect it or just quietly accept the complement. Why you ask? I do not like to be vain. There is something about wallowing in my own self-worth that makes me want to hurl. (Lovely choice of words right?) I simply don't like it. I know when someone tells me this, it usually is a genuine complement , but I just don't really enjoy hearing it. Unlike some girls, and even guys on occasion, will either prompt the complement to receive even more look-related approvals; that or they completely deny it, saying things like, "no, I'm so ugly, and I am ssssoooo fat like ohmygosh." or "stop lying! I am not pretty at all!" Although I'm not exactly sure why some people do that, it kind of . . . pisses me off. Because they are obviously attractive if they are receiving a comment like that, so why deny it. Of course trying to get more is just plain stupid too, not to mention extremely Vain. As are mirrors.

Have you ever even thought about not using a mirror for a week? Or maybe even just a day? Probably not. The very thought of not being able to "check for imperfections" before you go out into public is like a nightmare for most. However I do know of a women, and a wonderful blessing and joy she is to know, that gave up trying to conform and follow trends; she stopped with all the makeup, the ever so expensive hair, and simply lived with out caring what people thought. And I absolutely adore her for that. So why doesn't everyone do this? Well probably the same I think of every time: we are scared to. Scared to no be able to see what we look like. Scared to not be able to "fix" ourselves. (Even though nothing was truly 'wrong' with us in the first place.) Scared of what other people will think.

I guess what I am trying to say, without ranting and rambling on for ever and ever and ever (even though I know I could), is that looks and image is not everything. Just looking the prettiest isn't everything. Just because the world says you have to be one way doesn't mean you have to. Vain. Vanity. Being yourself. Choose wisely. I know I did.