Vanity... Is it really so bad?

As embarrassed as I am to admit it, it wasn't until my recent laser spot removal that I realised how much of a part vanity played in my everyday life.

And before you go judging me for being shallow and talking about 'looks' this way, I dare you to get over 40 burn marks on your face and walk through a heavily crowded public area - you'll soon realise we're all a little vane deep down.

I started out with a soothing voice in my head calming me down: "Relax, no one is looking at you..."

"... Except that person. And that one. OK they're all staring at you as though you belong on the poster of a horror flick, but so what?"

It was at this point I started thinking about vanity. Dictionary.com describes vanity as: "the excessive pride in one's appearance, qualities, abilities, achievements, etc."

Since when is taking pride in your appearance a negative thing? My mother always taught me to leave the house dressed well and to always look presentable. Doesn't that equate to taking pride in your appearance?  

Then I realised the word in that definition that turned this characteristic into a negative one: "excessive."

I don't consider myself to be excessively concerned with my looks, but then again who's to say what is or is not excessive? What's the standard of measure here? I certainly don't think I look in the mirror more than the average person, but as briefly mentioned before, I wouldn't leave the house in anything dirty, with my hair in a mess or my face unwashed.


So perhaps these things are the difference between vanity and taking pride in your looks. Whatever is considered "the norm" in your society, or perhaps even a little above versus someone who obsesses and takes it up a notch.


Either way, one thing I know is that my little walk of shame certainly made me appreciate the times when I can walk through a crowd without feeling self conscious, maybe even take a little pride in my appearance. And the next time I whinge of a bad hair day or a blemish on an important day, that little voice inside will always remind me: "How quickly you forget that day of horrified looks... so cheer up!"