Ti Jeanne – Vanity

The story of Ti Jeanne brings us back to the ideas and beliefs around vanity. Ti Jeanne’s story serves as an exploration of the themes surrounding vanity and its consequences. The story revolves around Ti Jeanne, who in a moment of solitude indulges in the seemingly harmless act of admiring her reflection in the water. However, her actions attract the attention of Maman Dlo, who scolds Ti Jeanne for her vanity. “‘Vanity, vanity, my child,’ said Maman Dlo, who was now fully seven feet erect on her snakebody, swaying from side to side. ‘Looking at yourself in the water’s reflection. But beautiful you are, ssssssso beautiful! Mmh, mmh!” (Penguin, 276). Maman Dlo admires Ti Jeanne’s beauty but does not think she has the right to admire it herself. In many stories, mermaids are depicted as creatures obsessed with their beauty, spending amounts of time gazing at themselves in mirrors or water reflections. By transforming Ti Jeanne into a mermaid, the story draws a parallel between her actions and the archetype of the vain mermaid, suggesting that her preoccupation with her appearance aligns her with mermaids. This story also highlights the interconnectedness between human nature and merpeople. The connection of Ti Jeanne’s actions to a characteristic commonly associated with mermaids creates a blur of the boundary between humans and mythical creatures. This idea suggests that human behaviors and traits can take on those of mythical stories. Vanity is a trait that is often seen as a negative. It is often associated with not only mermaids but also women in general. Placing a negative connotation with looking at oneself should not only be told through the tales of women. This creates a negative narrative around women loving themselves and their appearance. Tales of men and mermen admiring themselves are not often told because they do not have the same connotations, similar to how in present-day society women are ridiculed for enjoying their appearance while men are not.

3 thoughts on “Ti Jeanne – Vanity

  1. Hi Ashley,
    I also found it interesting that vanity was a big part of this story. Mami Wata is described earlier as engaging in vain human behaviors, by dressing ‘to the nines’ and wearing stylish clothing, so I found surprising that she decided to enchant Ti Jeanne for her own vanity. I agree that there is a negative connotation around vanity, however I feel body positive movements can sometimes support vanity/make it a more positive trait? At least in my opinion–I personally don’t see vanity negatively but agree that in our society it is viewed as such.
    Also, on the topic of your last sentence, this reminds me of a conversation I was having the other day about how women are judged more harshly on their appearance, while men are not–this is reflected in media, celebrities, and day to day lives.

  2. Wonderful reading and interpretation of vanity being gendered, even misogynist AND how mermaid stories invite this awareness and critique. This is an astute reading of the story and how it promotes ways of thinking about cultural values. This might be a good kernel for a longer essay!

  3. Hi Ashley! I really liked how your post highlighted the duality of social expectations when it comes to women’s beauty. Ti Jeanne can’t enjoy her beauty but Maman Dlo can. It’s also interesting to see the harm that comes with these two different beauties: Ti Jeanne’s admiration of her own beauty never leaves the river while Maman Dlo weaponizes it against others to do her bidding.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *