The Business of Vanity

Labeled by Christianity as one of the “seven deadly sins,” vanity has long been one of the most persistent traits of the human race. People enjoy feeling better about themselves and looking good, sometimes at the expense of others. They’re also quite willing to pay for the ability to look better than everyone else, even if it isn’t permanent. The cosmetics industry is essentially founded on this premise and makes money off of the prevalence and reliability of human vanity. However, it isn’t the only line of business that’s making a good living by appealing to the self-absorbed, egotistical little brat in everyone.

The cosmetics industry’s origins are ancient. The ancient Egyptians used make-up frequently for both genders, along with being prolific in their use of wigs. While very few ancient cultures had it be such an integral part of daily life – workers on the Great Pyramid of Giza went on strike when their make-up supplies ran out – it is present in virtually all the great civilizations.

When discussing vanity-oriented industries, one of the obvious choices would be cosmetic surgery clinics. These places practically exist to do nothing but indulge other people’s vanity. Tummy tucks, face lifts, breast enhancement, skin grafts – name a procedure and chances are that it’s been used for vanity more than a legitimate medical reason. However, these aren’t purely about vanity. Many of the procedures that these clinics do are legitimate procedures. Reconstructing the body after a major accident is something that these surgeons know how to do, helping someone along the road to recovery after a traumatic experience.

Then there are the vanity businesses that appeal to people’s egos. The modern world has shifted its concept of fame. Where people needed to be special to be famous in the past, nowadays, people are becoming special because they’re famous. Things like vanity Nashville video production firms and vanity publishing houses bank on this sort of tendency. These companies offer people an opening to briefly experience their dreams – whether being the center of a music video or getting a novel published. People will pay for these, thinking them to be a step towards achieving the fame they’re after, but it doesn’t always work that way.

Finally, there are the businesses that really are out to tap into human vanity on a regular basis. Beauty parlors, beauticians, fashion designers – all of these are making products or providing services that indulge in people’s desire to look better than their peers or hide the ravages of the forward march of time.