Is vanity good?

[Alex.]

There is a lot of criticism on vanity in the USA for a few decades now. But isn't vanity that protects you from becoming a big slob? Today, with vanity downplayed, people give up their looks for comfort junk food and laziness. If vanity were put back on the honor list, people would exercise, eat, and generally take care of themselves much better than recently. Your take?

Vanity does not protect anyone from junk food and laziness, self esteem, health minded habits and balance are some of the the attributes that lead to people generally taking care of themselves. Vanity is a road that would naturally lead to narcissism, even body shaming for some.