All Made Up

May 10, 2021
Journalist Nudson debuts with a wide-ranging survey of “people’s use of makeup throughout history and the influence it has had on culture and social structures.” Refuting patriarchal attitudes that dismiss beauty culture as only for women, Nudson notes that men and women in ancient Egypt wore eyeliner, and that gay men in the U.S. during Prohibition used lipstick to “flout expectations of masculinity.” Nudson also discusses how Japan’s economic downturn in the 1990s gave rise to the phenomenon of androgynous “herbivore men,” some of whom wear makeup to promote a “softer” version of their baby boomer fathers’ “overworked masculinity,” and explains how Venezuela’s “transformistas,” a subculture of trans women, leverage the national obsession with glamour to “create an image to be in control of their sexuality, gender, and lives.” In 1920s Chicago, a female lawyer helped get a convicted murderer released by using hair dye, makeup, and lessons in “American mannerisms” to give her the look of a “proper” woman, while Josephine Baker’s fame, sexuality, and “beautiful appearance” made her an ideal spy for the Allies during WWII. 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.”

June 15, 2021
How the use of cosmetics influences personal performance, culture, and society. "Makeup is a simultaneous reflection of our understanding of the world around us and a presentation of sense of self within that world," fashion journalist Nudson writes early on in this incisive sociological study. The author examines how makeup has been used to acquire, wield, and retain authority throughout early and modern society and how it relates to creativity, self-worth, image, and artistic fun for the user. She cites examples of how it can be both "required and stigmatized" in certain social circles and has evolved past the notion of rules for gender expression, femininity, identity, and sexuality for both heterosexual and queer communities. Nudson looks at a variety of interesting, historically relevant eras: among them, World War II, when women in the U.S. entered the work force in greater numbers; ancient Egypt, where men and women were "well known for using eye makeup"; and 1990s Japan, characterized by a massive recession, when some heterosexual men, dubbed "herbivore men," began exploring a softer masculinity using makeup and androgynous looks. While acknowledging that everyone is a participant in the theater of "appearance politics"--a societal arena fraught with double standards, racial misconceptions, and often impossible expectations for women--Nudson presents the flip side as well. She applauds the importance of beauty communities on social media for creating a communal hive space among cosmetics users, who contribute ideas and share and endorse products, opinions, and tutorials. She also writes about how gender fluidity has positively disrupted beauty standards in creative ways. Incorporating studies, historical research, and entertaining anecdotes, Nudson offers a narrative that will provoke discussion and illumination for readers interested in how cosmetics influence global culture. An exuberant critical study of how cosmetics and beauty culture shape the world and everyone in it.

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May 14, 2021

Journalist Nudson examines many facets of the makeup industry and its effects on cultures around the world. While Nudson is not the first to take on the subject, this work benefits from its broad scope. Among the book's many topics are the relationship between beauty standards and capitalism, and historical figures who used makeup to project images of power. 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. VERDICT While at times this book can feel jumbled because of how much content it seeks to cover, the topic and analysis are welcome and insightful, and the global nature of the coverage is especially appreciated.--Sarah Schroeder, Univ. of Washington Bothell

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2021
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. She describes evolving definitions of beauty and its unwritten rules and how these rules translate when wearing makeup at the palace, into war, in the workplace, in politics, for social media, or in outer space. She also examines the ugly side of beauty, documenting how certain cosmetic choices have resulted in persecution and even death. Nudson interviews fashion influencers and weaves in anecdotes and personal testimonials, consistently including people of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community, framing observations within the context that makeup is part of women's history and therefore often undocumented. Despite this, she offers readers engaging historical accounts and profiles of past trend-setting beauties and entrepreneurs. Today, Nudson asserts, makeup is personal, and most people wear it primarily to please themselves and send messages, whatever those may be.

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