the.com/vanity case
A small box that confesses you'll spend ten minutes fixing what took ten seconds to smudge.
means A small, mirrored carrying case for cosmetics and grooming items, sized for a purse or travel bag.
from Straightforward compound: 'vanity,' from Latin vanitas (emptiness, worthlessness), picked up its specific sense of 'preoccupation with one's looks' by the 17th-18th century, and got bolted onto 'case' once manufacturers started marketing compact mirrored boxes for cosmetics in the early 20th century — the item's own name doubling as a wink at the self-regard it serves.
- name origin
- named for vanity, not actual size needs
- pre-makeup use
- once carried calling cards and coins, not cosmetics
- 1920s boom
- exploded alongside women driving and smoking publicly
- airline era
- became required carry-on for jet-set stewardesses