Vanitas vanitatum omnia vanitas.

"Vanity of vanities; all is vanity."

Yesterday, I took a quiz ranking how each of the seven deadly sins (pride/vanity, sloth, gluttony, envy, wrath, greed, lust) are inherent within oneself. For pride & wrath, I scored very high; sloth & envy were my lowest with the other 3 falling within. For this blog, let's just deal with pride.
Here is the beginning of my post.

The opinions expressed below are Reina's personal opinions. They in no way, shape, or form represent any other female, almost 30 year old corporate slaves, or biracial chicas unless otherwise explicitly indicated. As Reina remains a WIP, it is her right to change her mind and/or contradict herself at any moment.

So I'm pretty. Wait. Before I go further, we need to get some definitions out of the way.

According to dictionary.com:
• Vanity: excessive pride in one's appearance, qualities, abilities, achievements, etc.; character or quality of being vain; conceit:
• Confidence: belief in oneself and one's powers or abilities; self-confidence; self-reliance; assurance
• Pride: a becoming or dignified sense of what is due to oneself or one's position or character; self-respect; self-esteem

So I'm pretty. That's not an opinion, but a fact. I am pretty. Now it is true that not everyone will find me attractive, and I'm good with that. It does not change the fact that I am pretty. Because I am. It is NOT, however, a defining characteristic of mine. It's just an actuality. My body isn't too shabby either. I'm also intelligent, if I may be so bold. And not merely because I'm educated. Obtaining a degree is not difficult, regardless of what Kanye claims. I am well-read, think I'm articulate, but most importantly, am smart enough to know when I know nothing which is often. Furthermore, I'm kind of a big deal in my career of choice. I have a fairly high ranking in the corporate world at the ripe age of near-30 and have made enough to own my car & home. No kids, no looming debt, surviving in the great city of Manhattan. Yeah, so it's not braggadocios to say that I would likely be a good catch for almost any guy. (and that's w/o EVEN mentioning my sexual prowess)

Stating that does not make me vain; nor does any characteristic I named define who I am. I am well-aware that all of this could be taken away in the blink of an eye or given lesser value based on relativity. Yet it is the truth, and that makes me confident and proud. Due to having all of this going for me, it entitles me to demand such from any potential partners. (Reina's a strong believer that one can't require anything one does not possess. Women cannot want a guy making 6 or 7 figures when they're not. And no man should be requiring 36-24-36 when they resemble Al Roker pre-gastric bypass.) Why shouldn't I want the man in a Brooks Brothers or Hugo Boss suit looking like he just stepped out of GQ? Why can't I go after the surgeon or the investment banker? Why would I settle for the plumber or the electrician? I mean, c'mon. Why would I settle for less than the best as determined by me? (Disclaimer: Though my words portray the image that I hold one occupation in higher esteem than the next, I do not. Yet I remain entitled to my preferences.)

Now, if you're still reading and have labeled me as a vain, cold-hearted bitch, do note my shrug. I am just as willing to date an electrician as I am a stockbroker. Neither of those careers leave me in awe, but hey, success is success. I'll be just as excited if he lands a million dollar deal or replaced the lights in city hall. (Ok, maybe not.) But that just can't be it. Neither of those will remain inspirational to me. Once you achieve either of those, your next goal should be higher. Aspirations should never cease. There is nada attractive about complacency. (My opinion.) It's not the money or status that is attractive about high-powered execs or athletes or doctors, etc. It's the determination and will and drive that took to get there. That's attractive. A guy who inherits his company from his dad not as impressive as the guy who builds it from ground up, the guy who ate Ramen noodles for years because he had ambition. That's attractive and speaks bounds about his level of commitment, drive, etc.

It's not the money, the things he can get me that I'm interested in. I can get and prefer to obtain my possessions on my own. (Let me digress for a second and address the hypocrisy of the male sex. By my stating that I don't need any man's money and can survive on, men may label that as being a stuck-up bitch or misconstrue my independence for lesbianism. However, if I state that I want a man to take care of me, I'm a lazy gold digger? Right.) If I wanted to date a guy who could afford to lavish me, those opportunities are presented daily. I'd either have to accept always being second to his job or cease the ability to think because they only want a trophy. Or if I was willing to settle for the electrician or similar, I only have to accept having a lot of his attention but having the conversational topics being limited to the difference b/w fluorescent and incandescent. Yeah, that's stereotyping, I know. And I try not to be prejudiced, but let's be honest, we all are. I try to combat it by being open-minded. Maybe the electrician knows exactly who Thomas Hobbes is and we can debate about natural law. Or maybe the stockbroker spends most of his time volunteering at a Recreational Center for At Risk Youth and he just happens to bring home 6 figures from his 9 to 5. That's likely. It's true, and depending on their approach, I'll grant the opportunity to divulge said info. Hopefully, if I'm impressed with him, he will be impressed with me as well. I understand that I must meet someone's standards in return.

My point is having standards, wanting/demanding certain characteristics, is not vanity, but if we're defining it as such, I'll wear that label. I'm confident with my success, proud of my accomplishments and with what I bring to the table, and it is my right to demand something comparable. Honestly, it does not matter to me what a guy's job is. I don't really care how much money he makes. I'm attracted to characteristics (ambition, drive, fortitude), not materialism. It's the reasons why he's in that profession and how he plans to ascend to even greater heights and make a lasting impact on the world. Like I said, complacency is just boring and uninspiring, and I want the guy I can admire and support. Standing on the bottom rung of a ladder staring up and saying "Baby, you screw that in so tightly" is just not enticing. Yeah, yeah, I'm a snob, and I remain unapologetic.

"I'm in trouble because I'm normal and slightly arrogant. A lot of people don't like themselves and I happen to be totally in love with myself." ~Mike Tyson