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Written by Loh Huilin & Nur Rashidah
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Page 1 of 2 Call it whatever you want: Vanity, Narcissism or Hubris even! Yes, yes. We know that our GlamourUs section usually allows us to indulge in one of the deadliest sins known to mankind - Pride. But can we honestly say that we don't take pride in looking good, or for the more modest of you lot - feeling good about ourselves?
HOOKED muses over this deadly sin that seems to be plaguing the NUS cohort and society at large.
Vanity in our veins
We know the brands. We know the look. We know the attitude and the air about them. But why are some students willing to go all the way to outshine others in terms of materialism? Is it a simple pride issue, or is there something underneath that is a little more complicated?
 Oddly enough, many students we asked simply said "We need to fit in with the rest" or "I want to stand out from the crowd"; two very different answers but both stemming from personal pride and gratification.
Perhaps it all comes down to pride, triggered by the need and desire to stand out from a homogeneous crowd. With an enormous student population in NUS, outer personal grooming may have become essential to being recognized and remembered.
 It would then seem completely rational to take it to the maximum and stand on the safe side; splurge (or, as some may say, ‘invest') on expensive clothes and accessories, and shun off any potential competition. But where do we draw the line between ‘putting your best foot forward in looking smart' and ‘pure extreme consumerism'?
We can't agree more with muralist Rip Cronk in one of his essays on postmodern society that ‘consumerism is the myth that the individual will be gratified and integrated by consuming.'
Some people (not just NUS students exclusively) may be replacing social ties with artificial gratification from consumption. Instead of putting in the extra personal effort of reaching out and leaving our uniquely individual impression on the people around us, we take the easy way out and use materialistic means to gain recognition.
On a side note, isn't it ironic that, in the attempt to be different from others, the very people who go to such extravagant materialistic means are actually subscribing to a lifestyle that promotes fulfillment of the desire to integrate and fit in?
Most importantly, we ought to know that while outward appearance matters in leaving first impressions, it stands only for a temporary façade. Reaching out to form social ties is more probable in leaving positive impressions and forming recognition for ourselves. Also, sometimes it may not be as important to compete on levels on recognition as it is to ensure that others' recognition for us is unique like every individual.
All in Vain?
It is a beggar's pride that he is not a thief.
Japanese Proverb
As you have read beforehand, us NUS students are obsessed with material things that let us stand out from the crowd (or to fit in, whichever you please). Pride, my dear friends, is undeniably such a commonplace in today's world. There is no running from the fact that the world is indeed obsessed with having the best, creating the best and of course, being the best.
When we say "pride", most of us are quick to point the finger at celebrities, blaming them for their wanton ways of trying to stay on top of their game. But pride is more than just plastic surgery. It is the narcissistic measures we take to feed it, or in other words, an excessive love of self.
It includes extreme shopping fetishes as well as social networking
sites, something even us normal folks could relate to. And in this
case, pride can be related to vanity - wanting to have a high opinion
of ourselves so that somehow, others would think highly of us too.
Let's talk about plastic surgery. It is so widespread nowadays that many don't even bat an eyelid when you mention it.
"Jane went to the dry cleaners' this morning. Then, she stopped by the clinic to get a Botox injection."
"Cool."
We obsess with others' perception of us, based on our looks. Our vanity leads us to perform plastic surgery in order to establish a sense of pride. Plastic surgery then becomes a tool to indulge one's self in these narcissistic measures. It can even be addictive!
Supermodel Janice Dickinson has admitted that she is "addicted to cosmetic surgery." According to Starpulse.com, she has had roughly $100,000 worth of these surgeries and that "every six months I fly to Dallas to get Botox and collagen injections."
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