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All Made Up: The Power and Pitfalls of Beauty Culture, from Cleopatra to Kim Kardashian
Bottom of the pile
10
/100
I Index Overall Rating
Readers
9/100Critics
10/100Scholars
Author:
Rae Nudson
Publisher:
Beacon Press
Date:
July 13, 2021
Through the stories of famous women like Cleopatra, Empress Wu, Madam C. J. Walker, Elizabeth Taylor, and Marsha P. Johnson, Rae Nudson unpacks makeup's personal, social and cultural impact.
What The Reviewers Say
... underneath the pretty pink cover and clever title of this book is an incredibly well-researched examination of the checkered history of beauty culture around the world, and analysis of how power dynamics of gender, race and class are at play in the the beauty industry.
Journalist Nudson offers a strong argument that makeup affects everyone, whether they wear it or not. She digs into the history of cosmetics, and thoughtfully explores signals that can indicate class, status, power, or wealth, not to mention sexual desire or gender identity.
The book's greatest strength is its inclusiveness in studying the modern makeup industry's impact on people from many cultures, gender identities, and racial backgrounds. An entire volume could have been written on makeup's role in LGBTQ+ communities, but because Nudson cast such a wide net, her book tends to skim the surface of each issue rather than provide in-depth analysis. The result is interesting, but may also leave readers wishing for more, especially on makeup as a means of power. It also would have been welcome had the book used more images, given the visual nature of the subject matter.
Full of intriguing anecdotes and trenchant commentary on the relationship between conventional beauty standards and misogyny, classism, and racism, this is an invigorating examination of the 'rules and assumptions that govern appearance.'.
