Not Vain Enough

VAIN adj \ˈvān\
having or showing undue or excessive pride in one's appearance or achievements

I have decided that I am not "vain" enough. While vanity is often regarded as a negative trait, perhaps even a personality flaw, I have come to notice that the same can be said of a lack of vanity. Think about it: if you have or show an "excessive pride in one's appearance", it gives the impression that you actually care enough about your appearance to pay attention to it.
If this is sounding a bit confusing, let me provide you with a story that led me to think that I am perhaps not vain enough, and what I intend to do about it. About a month or so ago, I was watching "Holly's World", a reality show starring Holly Madison of former "Girls Next Door" fame. She was celebrating her birthday, and being a big Holly fan, I was surprised to realize that I never knew she was my age. "Look at her" I said to my husband. "What about her?" "She's MY age", I replied. "And she looks amazing!!". Now my husband, who is honest to a fault, not one to pump me up just for the sake of pumping me up, had just the right response, not some "you look beautiful just the way you are" BS response. He looked at me, slightly puzzled, and said "Um...yeah...It takes EFFORT to look that way".
And he was right. It does take effort, effort that I have not been willing to put forth. I am inherently lazy, it takes every ounce of energy I have simply to wash my face before bed. I look older than I am, while I am thin I am so out of shape I can barely make it up a flight of stairs, and I regularly proclaim how "haggard" I am.
Despite what anyone may say, how you look on the outside does indeed affect how you feel on the inside. It would be lovely if we all actually believed that what is inside is all that matters, but it doesn't. Who doesn't feel special when they put on a new dress, or when your face is glowing, or you have a new pair of shoes on? I'm not sure I want to look like a Real Housewife, but I do admire the amount of time they spend on themselves. So I am doing something about it. I don't want to use "I'm haggard, I have a 4 year old" as an excuse to be lazy anymore. I want to look great, spend more time on my appearance, and feel great about it.
I have joined an overpriced luxury gym that opens next month. I specifically chose this gym because I like things that are shiny and new, and I like to go where pretty people are. I could have joined the gym around the corner where it would be a drudgery, but the overpriced gym will be an experience - for heaven's sake, you can even get botox there. So if going to the fancy gym is what it takes to get me to go, get healthy, stay fit for my son who would appreciate it if I could actually play with him without getting winded, all the while getting a much better body, I'll do it. Vanity is not necessarily a bad thing, and I think that quite a few of us could use a good dose of it. My husband is right. If you want to take pride in your appearance, you have to work at it.

VAIN adj \ˈvān\
having or showing undue or excessive pride in one's appearance or achievements

I have decided that I am not "vain" enough. While vanity is often regarded as a negative trait, perhaps even a personality flaw, I have come to notice that the same can be said of a lack of vanity. Think about it: if you have or show an "excessive pride in one's appearance", it gives the impression that you actually care enough about your appearance to pay attention to it.
If this is sounding a bit confusing, let me provide you with a story that led me to think that I am perhaps not vain enough, and what I intend to do about it. About a month or so ago, I was watching "Holly's World", a reality show starring Holly Madison of former "Girls Next Door" fame. She was celebrating her birthday, and being a big Holly fan, I was surprised to realize that I never knew she was my age. "Look at her" I said to my husband. "What about her?" "She's MY age", I replied. "And she looks amazing!!". Now my husband, who is honest to a fault, not one to pump me up just for the sake of pumping me up, had just the right response, not some "you look beautiful just the way you are" BS response. He looked at me, slightly puzzled, and said "Um...yeah...It takes EFFORT to look that way".
And he was right. It does take effort, effort that I have not been willing to put forth. I am inherently lazy, it takes every ounce of energy I have simply to wash my face before bed. I look older than I am, while I am thin I am so out of shape I can barely make it up a flight of stairs, and I regularly proclaim how "haggard" I am.
Despite what anyone may say, how you look on the outside does indeed affect how you feel on the inside. It would be lovely if we all actually believed that what is inside is all that matters, but it doesn't. Who doesn't feel special when they put on a new dress, or when your face is glowing, or you have a new pair of shoes on? I'm not sure I want to look like a Real Housewife, but I do admire the amount of time they spend on themselves. So I am doing something about it. I don't want to use "I'm haggard, I have a 4 year old" as an excuse to be lazy anymore. I want to look great, spend more time on my appearance, and feel great about it.
I have joined an overpriced luxury gym that opens next month. I specifically chose this gym because I like things that are shiny and new, and I like to go where pretty people are. I could have joined the gym around the corner where it would be a drudgery, but the overpriced gym will be an experience - for heaven's sake, you can even get botox there. So if going to the fancy gym is what it takes to get me to go, get healthy, stay fit for my son who would appreciate it if I could actually play with him without getting winded, all the while getting a much better body, I'll do it. Vanity is not necessarily a bad thing, and I think that quite a few of us could use a good dose of it. My husband is right. If you want to take pride in your appearance, you have to work at it.