Inventing Beauty: A History of the Innovations that Have Made Us Beautiful |
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You Are Here: Home > History Books > Louisiana History > Item 104
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Inventing Beauty: A History of the Innovations that Have Made Us Beautiful
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by Teresa Riordan
Sales Rank: 203403
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List Price: $17.95
$12.21
At Amazon
on 8-4-2008.
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Features
Cover Type: Paperback with 336 pages
Published by: Broadway October 5, 2004
Written in: English
ISBN 10 Number: 0767914511
ISBN 13 Number: 978-0767914512
Book Dimensions:
9.1 x 7.3 x 1.2 inches
Weighs: 1.3 pounds
From Publishers Weekly
New York Times technology columnist Riordan's collection of the fascinating stories behind such innovations as the bra and swivel lipstick is neither a feminist polemic against the beauty industry nor a frivolous celebration of it. While Riordan analyzes the cultural meanings of various Western feminine beauty ideals, such as hairless underarms and long, shiny nails, she devotes her most energetic descriptions to the often amusing and sometimes horrifying tales of beauty industry entrepreneurs, chemists and industrialists who experimented wildly, and at times disastrously, with such materials as vulcanized rubber, nitrocellulose and even radiation. Beginning with the eyes and ending with the "derriere" (in an informative account of the bustle), Riordan delights in the engineering feats and happy accidents that spurred the evolution of some of the humblest objects in our bathroom cabinets. Among other tales, she recounts how hydrogenated cottonseed oil revolutionized the eyebrow pencil, how the nail polish industry borrowed from the automobile industry and how Hazel Bishop invented a kiss-proof formula for lipstick but found her product eclipsed by Revlon's shrewd advertising campaign. Riordan's meticulous research delves into an age before federal health regulations, uncovering such nasties as the phenol face peel, which required the face to be painted with three coats of carbolic acid. The combination of Riordan's brilliant style, which perfectly captures the pathos and comedy of the subject, and her relish for the minutiae of technological history makes this an irresistible and sometimes macabre treat for anyone curious about the history of everyday life.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
To generate this riveting book, New York Times journalist Riordan has completed more than her share of homework. The subject? The nine female body parts that have been enhanced and transformed by inventions, whether it's lipstick or the Victorian hoop crinoline skirt. Actual patent illustrations and old-time ads accompany the explanations; a few of the more than 100 patents for lipstick shapes and dispensers, for example, trace the evolution of the painted mouth. The actual facts, too, are fascinating--from the author's note that the Greek goddess Hera was the first documented wearer of the push-up bra to the unfortunately widespread use of X rays to remove hair during the early 1900s. No doubt, beauty is more than skin deep here; there's enough intrigue on every page to capture any reader's attention. Or as queen Helena Rubenstein explained, "There are no ugly women, only lazy ones." Barbara Jacobs
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Reader Reviews
My copy of 'Inventing Beauty' arrived just the other day, and I find myself carrying it wherever I go, dipping into it for "just one more" section. I keep wanting to tap complete strangers on the shoulder and say, "Did you know..." and then share with them some bizarre tidbit such as the fact that movie stars in the 1940s used a mechanical contraption called a Hollywood Lift -- made of glue, silk thread, and rubber bands -- to pull their sagging faces upward. Makes me want to rent some old movies and look for telltale signs on those ultra-smooth faces! This book is a lot of fun, and would make a great gift for any woman, of any age. --Janis Jaquith, author of "Birdseed Cookies: A Fractured Memoir"
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Inventing Beauty: A History of the Innovations that Have Made Us Beautiful
Available from Amazon
Price: $12.21
Updated on 8-4-2008.
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