History Main / AppealToVanity

The Appeal to Vanity is a logical fallacy that consists of, well, ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: appealing to the vanity, pride, or self-esteem of the person being spoken to, in order to get them to do something, buy something, or give something up.

It's widely used in advertising, most often by products perceived or presented as "elite" or "high end", but also by cutting edge technology, where implications that owning the product will act as an indicator of one's status in the social order are used. An integral part of UpMarketing.

However, it's not limited only to advertising. The Appeal to Vanity is an integral part of the YesMan's tool box and it's a common trope in folk tales, where a person is persuaded to do something against their best interests by another character who flatters them. In fact, it's OlderThanFeudalism, with one of the earliest known examples, "The Fable of the Fox and the Crow", existing in its current form at least as far back as the 1st Century CE. It might even be OlderThanDirt, since a vase illustrated with what appears to be the story was found in an archaeological dig in India of a civilization that dates to around 2400 BCE.
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!!Examples

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Advertising]]
* The Lexus commercials featuring Jonathan Pryce blend this with CelebrityEndorsement.
* Say this in your most snobby voice: "Pardon me, would you have any Grey Poupon?" Their early commercials played the "Snob Appeal" straight, but later commercials evolved into self-parody.
* Movado wristwatches.
* Played dead straight in an ad for a resume posting site. A man playing tennis is mobbed by uninvited spectators from the stands trying to get in on the game. Most of them are terrible players, and tennis balls are flying every which way. VO: "When you let everybody play, nobody wins." Apparently the first player's resume is getting lost in all the others on whatever site he's posting it. The tagline: "$100k+ jobs for $100k+ jobseekers". What a pity: Our Hero couldn't find his dream job because he was surrounded by ''hoi polloi''!
* A junk mail ad for ''Magazine/TheEconomist'' subscriptions listed some of the powerful, influential people who read it (especially heads of state or their cabinet members). The gist is that powerful people like them read it, and you're like them (i.e. powerful), so you should read it too.
* One of the Apple iPhone's applications was named "I'm Rich!" It costs $999.99 and all it did was show a ruby on your display. The message was pretty clear: only rich people (like you!) would buy something this useless! It managed to sell a few copies until someone claimed [[WhatWereYouThinking they bought it by accident]] and Apple removed it.
* The Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour chain had the "Accountant's Special" as a joke menu item: one scoop of plain vanilla ice cream for $99.99.
* The slogan of L'Oreal - "Because you're worth it."

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Comic Books]]
* [[ComicBook/{{SpiderMan}} Spider-Man]] does this to convince ComicBook/DoctorDoom he's being tricked by insinuating that someone like him shouldn't let himself be tricked that easily (which Peter calls an appeal to the ego in his head). Before this, his future-predicting AI told him that telling Doom the truth would have a 38% chance of success, but it was increased to 51% if Peter let Doom beat him up a bit first.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Folk and Fairy Tales]]
* Creator/JeanDeLaFontaine's "The Fox and the Crow" has the fox spot a crow in a tree holding a big cheese in its beak. The fox greets the crow, asking to hear its beautiful voice which is surely equivalent to his magnificent plumage. The crow eagerly complies, opening its beak wide... and dropping the cheese.
-->The fox seized it, and said, "My dear good sir,
-->Learn you that every flatterer
-->Lives at the expense of him who hears him out.
-->This lesson is well worth some cheese, no doubt."
* Creator/HansChristianAndersen's [[http://hca.gilead.org.il/emperor.html "The Emperor's New Clothes"]] has two tailors that manage to convince the emperor that they creted a suit that is only visible to smart people, so everybody would rather say that they can see the clothes and appear smart, allowing them to get paid by doing nothing.
* According to Myth/JapaneseMythology, this is how to survive an encounter with the kuchisake-onna, or slit-mouthed woman. A strange woman in a surgical mask, she'll approach you and ask if she's beautiful. Saying no will enrage her and she'll kill you with her scissors because her ego is fragile. Saying yes will prompt her to reveal her mutilated face and ask again. Saying no at this point will also get you killed, but saying yes again will make her only slash you to match her because the Japanese word for "pretty" (kirei) pretty much sounds like a word meaning "to cut" (kire) and she is also apparently fueled by puns. Of course, she will let you go on your merry way if you say [[INeedToGoIronMyDog you're sorry, but you to be somewhere else right now]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Live-Action Films]]
* ''Film/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents2004'': When first meeting the Baudelaire orphans, Count Olaf let's slip that he's only interested in their fortune in front of Mr. Poe, who is the Executor of their family estate. When Mr. Poe questions this, Olaf proceeds to ask him if he works out. Poe is clearly impressed by this compliment and [[AdultsAreUseless leaves the children in Olaf's care]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Live-Action Television]]
* ''Series/EightSimpleRules'': In one episode, Cate finds out she used to date her daughters' principal. She believes he's being too harsh on them because [[RevengeByProxy she broke up with him]]. However, he claims [[RashomonStyle he was the one who broke up with her]]. Cate spends the rest of the episode trying to prove she was the one who broke up with him. Her daughter [[SoapboxSadie Kerry]] tries to tell her to let it go. Cate then says she's just trying to prove she was both studious and sexy in high school, just like Kerry. This convinces Kerry to support her.
* ''Series/DrakeAndJosh'': In an episode where the two brothers get a job, Drake tries to avoid doing any hard work by charming their manager, Helen. In one instance, Drake tells Helen's she's looking great right before she asks him to clean up some [[{{Squick}} vomit]]. Helen gets flustered and instead makes Josh do it instead. Eventually, [[HardWorkHardlyWorks Drake gets promoted to manager]].
* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': When the Starks go to treat with [[AChildShallLeadThem Lyanna Mormont]] on Bear Island, Sansa tries to do this by telling Lyanna that she will likely grow up to be a great beauty. [[{{Tomboy}} Lyanna]] dismisses the compliment and insists she'll grow up to be a [[ActionGirl great warrior]] instead.
* ''Series/JustShootMe'': In one episode, Finch goes undercover as a high school to get information for an article for the magazine. He ends up becoming popular with the younger generation and uses the opportunity as an excuse to relive his high school years. The intellectual [[HotLibrarian Maya]] asks him how the assignment is going. Finch tells her that he found out that high school boys secretly find bookish and intelligent girls attractive. This pleases Maya, who leaves without pressing him for more information that would've exposed Finch's plan.
* ''Series/TheMiddle'': Sue is approached by someone at the mall who tells her she has what it takes to be a model. Of course, she'll have to pay for some classes. [[NaiveEverygirl Sue]] is so excited after being compared to a model that she never considers that this could be a scam, and spends the rest of the episode trying to pay for classes through [[BabysittingEpisode babysitting]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Music]]
* Wonderfully subverted by Music/LesLuthiers: "You, who are used to success as just one more habit of life... You, who succeed with the same ease in business and in the most exclusive sports... You, who are used to being respected by men and admired by women... You... can you tell us how you do it?"
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Theatre]]
* ''Theatre/TheMusicMan'': Whenever the four members of the school board try to question Harold Hill about his plan to start a school band, he distracts them by complementing their voices and getting to sing barbershop quartet songs.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/StrongBadsCoolGameForAttractivePeople''. Right there in the title, folks.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': One episode had Bonnie asking Lois to look after her baby and paraplegic husband while she goes on vacation. Not wanting to do this, Lois passes the job off to Meg. When Meg complains, Lois tells her that Bonnie compared Meg's appearance to that of a supermodel. This gets Meg to accept the job.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' episode "dude, we're getting the band back together", Phineas and Ferb reunite a HairMetal band for their parents' anniversary. 'They convince Bobbi Fabulous to join by telling him he's the one who steals the show.
* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'': The episode "Chinpokomon" involved Japan trying to brainwash the American youth using an obvious parody of ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}''. Whenever American adults get suspicious, the Japanese will deflect by saying how large American penises are. This even works on [[UsefulNotes/BillClinton the President]]. [[WordOfGod According to the DVD commentary]] this was [[TruthInTelevision based off of an encounter in Beijing]].
[[/folder]]

!!Parody Examples

[[folder: Live Action TV]]
* ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' neatly parodied this device with the "I'm '''#1'''" trucker's cap. "Lets everyone in the room know you're better than they are. Only $9.95, available at K-Mart and Caldor!"
[[/folder]]

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* Creator/HansChristianAndersen's [[http://hca.gilead.org.il/emperor.html "The Emperor's New Clothes"]]

* [[http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/FoxCrow.shtml "The Fox and the Crow"]]

[[/folder:]]

[[folder: Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/StrongBadsCoolGameForAttractivePeople''. Right there in the title, folks.

[[folder: Western Animation
* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': One episode had Bonnie asking Lois to look after her baby and paraplegic husband while she goes on vacation. Not wanting to do this, Lois passes the job off to Meg. When Meg complains, Lois tells her that Bonnie compared Meg's appearance to that of a supermodel. This gets Meg to accept the job.
* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'': The episode "Chinpokomon" involved Japan trying to brainwash the American youth using an obvious parody of ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}''. Whenever American adults get suspicious, the Japanese will deflect by saying how large American penises are. This even works on [[UsefulNotes/BillClinton the President]]. [[WordOfGod According to the DVD commentary]] this was [[TruthInTelevision based off of an encounter in Beijing]].

[[folder: Music]]
* Wonderfully subverted by Music/LesLuthiers: "You, who are used to success as just one more habit of life... You, who succeed with the same ease in business and in the most exclusive sports... You, who are used to being respected by men and admired by women... You... can you tell us how you do it?"

[[folder: Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/StrongBadsCoolGameForAttractivePeople''. Right there in the title, folks.

!!Parody Examples

[[folder: Live Action TV]]
* ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' neatly parodied this device with the "I'm '''#1'''" trucker's cap. "Lets everyone in the room know you're better than they are. Only $9.95, available at K-Mart and Caldor!"

However, it's not limited only to advertising. The Appeal to Vanity is an integral part of the YesMan's tool box and it's a common trope in folk tales, where a person is persuaded to do something against their best interests by another character who flatters them. In fact, it's OlderThanFeudalism, with one of the earliest known examples, "The Fable of The Fox and The Crow", existing in its current form at least as far back as the 1st Century CE. It might even be OlderThanDirt, since a vase illustrated with what appears to be the story was found in an archaeological dig in India of a civilization that dates to around 2400 BCE.

* [[ComicBook/{{SpiderMan}} Spider-Man]] does this to convince [[ComicBook/DoctorDoom]] he's being tricked by insinuating that someone like him shouldn't let himself be tricked that easily (which Peter calls an appeal to the ego in his head). Before this, his future-predicting AI told him that telling Doom the truth would have a 38% chance of success, but it was increased to 51% if Peter let Doom beat him up a bit first.

* The Lexus commercials featuring Jonathan Pryce blend AppealToVanity with CelebrityEndorsement.

* Wonderfully subverted by LesLuthiers: "You, who are used to success as just one more habit of life... You, who succeed with the same ease in business and in the most exclusive sports... You, who are used to being respected by men and admired by women... You... can you tell us how you do it?"

* ''SaturdayNightLive'' neatly parodied this device with the "I'm '''#1'''" trucker's cap. "Lets everyone in the room know you're better than they are. Only $9.95, available at K-Mart and Caldor!"

* A junk mail ad for ''TheEconomist'' subscriptions listed some of the powerful, influential people who read it (especially heads of state or their cabinet members). The gist is that powerful people like them read it, and you're like them (i.e. powerful), so you should read it too.

* The Lexus commercials featuring Jonathan Price blend AppealToVanity with CelebrityEndorsement.