Vanity

I know some adults who have worn braces in their adult years. I know others that have done teeth whitening and gotten botox. I myself am going under the knife for some health – related adjustments too – all in the name of vanity.

Why ?

As my friend Alan (as pure an Aussie as there ever was, all 5 foot 3 of him, & the spitting image of Kris Kringle) was fond of saying.. ”Last I checked, this wasn’t a F$%^& beauty contest”. Indeed it’s not, but sometimes it can seem like it.

We’re bombarded with visuals of what beauty is supposed to look like. There’s a class of celebrity-ism out there that revolves around beauty, and the reality TV industry is arguably built on this foundation. (Marketing line: Watch pretty people go through various traumas). This is so beaten into us that when a true talent arises that doesn’t happen to be beautiful (Susan Boyle anyone ?) it’s remarkable to us.

But I rant.

Do we need to adjust ourselves to be younger, more perfect looking, a virtual mating ploy a la peacocking..or is it done as we feel better about ourselves and that confidence shines through.

Or does this matter – is it really worth thinking about (I’m parking the whole first world “Let them eat cake” attitude argument for the sake of this discussion). Is it just what makes our world and economy go round like malls, fancy cars and manicured lawns. Is playing with our appearance simply the manifestation of these same desires.

Years and years ago when GOD was being drilled into my head (unsuccessfully), I questioned why Pride was a sin as I thought the effort to do something well and the effort it took to achieve that outcome surely couldn’t be sinful. I see however that pride & vanity are two sides of the same coin - and it’s all heads and tails.