The phrase "vanity mirror" suggests it's merely narcissism, a word appropriately taken from the myth of Narcissus, a beautiful boy who fell in love with his own reflection in a pond. But it's likely something deeper: a love of illusion, our questioning of reality, or the sense of a world beyond our own.
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Mirrors in History
Narcissus wasn't the only ancient enthralled by self-reflection. The "vanity mirrors" of the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans were handheld and typically made from polished metal. Even the Biblical book of Exodus mentions women's looking glasses.
Metal-backed glass mirrors appeared during the Middle Ages, but it wasn't until the 1700s that mirrors were widely used as luxurious decorative items. The prototypes of vanity mirrors were known as overmantels for their position above a room's mantelpiece.
An 18th-century body-length vanity mirror used for dressing was known as a cheval glass. Over time, the mirror's increasing association with dressing and grooming rather than decoration is what would give the vanity mirror its name.
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Mirrors in Culture
From ancient mythology to contemporary cinema, the mirror has enjoyed an honored place in the world's artistic heritage. Artists have interpreted the mirror in numerous ways. The mirror in Snow White aptly could be called a vanity mirror. In Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass and Kurt Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions, mirrors become doorways into other worlds.
In the movies, traditional vanity mirrors have often featured in tales of backstage rivalry or as symbols of arrogance or faded glory, such as Gloria Swanson's famous turn as an aging film star in Sunset Boulevard.
Whatever the reason, vanity mirrors continue to exert an irresistible appeal on our imaginations and our egos. Somewhere, Narcissus is still looking.
