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Redirect|Vainglory|the Old English poem|Vainglory (Old English poem)Other useswiktionaryIn conventional parlance, vanity is the excessive belief in one's own abilities or attractiveness to others (Stephen LaMarche). Prior to the 14th century it did not have such narcissism|narcissistic undertones, and merely meant futility . Oxford English dictionary , on vanity The related term vainglory is now often seen as an archaic synonym for vanity , but originally meant boasting in vain , i.e. unjustified boasting ; Oxford English dictionary , on vainglory although glory is now seen as having an exclusively positive meaning, the Latin term gloria (from which it derives) roughly means boasting , and was often used as a negative criticism. Oxford English dictionary , on glory
In many religions vanity, in its modern sense, is considered a form of self- idolatry , in which one rejects God for the sake of one's own image , and thereby becomes divorced from the Divine grace|grace s of God . The stories of Lucifer , Narcissus (mythology)|Narcissus (who gave us the term narcissism ) and others attend to a pernicious aspect of vanity. Philosophically speaking, vanity may refer to a broader sense of egotism|egoism and pride . Friedrich Nietzsche wrote that "vanity is the fear of appearing original: it is thus a lack of pride, but not necessarily a lack of originality." http://www.bartleby.com/66/51/41651.html Bartleby.com One of Mason Cooley|Mason Cooley's aphorism s is "Vanity well fed is benevolent. Vanity hungry is spiteful."
In Christian teachings vanity is considered an example of pride , one of the seven deadly sins . This list evolved from an earlier list of eight sins, which included vainglory as a sin independent of pride .
In Orthodox church, vanity is one of eight sinful and diabolical passions, the fight against which is a major task of every Orthodox Christian.
The symbolism of vanity
In Western art, vanity was often symbolized by a peacock , and in Bible|Biblical terms, by the Whore of Babylon . In secular allegory , vanity was considered one of the minor vices. During the Renaissance , vanity was invariably represented as a naked woman , sometimes seated or reclining on a couch. She attends to her hair with comb and mirror. The mirror is sometimes held by a demon or a putto . Symbols of vanity include jewels, gold coins, a purse, and often by the figure of death himself. Citation needed|date=September 2011 Often we find an inscription on a scroll that reads Omnia Vanitas ("All is Vanity"), a quote from the Latin translation of the Book of Ecclesiastes .James Hall, Dictionary of Subjects & Symbols in Art (New York: Harper & Row, 1974), 318. Although that phrase, itself depicted in a type of still life, vanitas , originally referred not to obsession with one's appearance, but to the ultimate fruitlessness of humankind's efforts in this world, the phrase summarizes the complete preoccupation of the subject of the picture.
"The artist invites us to pay lip-service to condemning her," writes Edwin Mullins, "while offering us full permission to drool over her. She admires herself in the glass, while we treat the picture that purports to incriminate her as another kind of glass—a window—through which we peer and secretly desire her."Edwin Mullins, The Painted Witch: How Western Artists Have Viewed the Sexuality of Women (New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc., 1985), 62-3. The theme of the recumbent woman often merged artistically with the non-allegorical one of a reclining Venus (god)|Venus .
In his table of the Seven deadly sins|Seven Deadly Sins , Hieronymus Bosch depicts a bourgeoisie|bourgeois woman admiring herself in a mirror held up by a devil. Behind her is an open jewelry box. A painting attributed to Nicolas Tournier , which hangs in the Ashmolean Museum , is An Allegory of Justice and Vanity . A young woman holds a Weighing scale#Balance|balance , symbolizing justice ; she does not look at the mirror or the human skull|skull on the table before her. Johannes Vermeer|Vermeer's famous painting Girl with a Pearl Earring is sometimes believed to depict the sin of vanity, as the young girl has adorned herself before a glass without further positive allegorical attributes.
All is Vanity , by Charles Allan Gilbert (1873–1929), carries on this theme. An optical illusion , the painting depicts what appears to be a large grinning skull. Upon closer examination, it reveals itself to be a young woman gazing at her reflection in the mirror. In the film '' The Devil's Advocate (film)|The Devil's Advocate , Satan ( Al Pacino ) claims that "vanity is his favourite sin" .
Such artistic works served to warn viewers of the ephemeral nature of youthful beauty, as well as the brevity of human life and the inevitability of death .
In modern psychology
Vanity is also one of the many factors used to evaluate mental health and social skills, as also an important indicative of bipolar disorder. Citation needed|date=May 2012
