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All Made Up: The Power and Pitfalls of Beauty Culture, from Cleopatra to Kim Kardashian
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 cultural impact--including how it can be used to shape a personal or cultural narrative, how often beauty standards align with whiteness, how and when it can be used for safety, and its function in the workplace, to name a few examples.
Every woman has had to make a very personal choice about her relationship with makeup, and consciously or unconsciously, every woman knows that the choice is never entirely hers to make. This book also holds space for complicating factors, especially the ways that beauty standards differ across race, class, and culture.
Every woman has had to make a very personal choice about her relationship with makeup, and consciously or unconsciously, every woman knows that the choice is never entirely hers to make. This book also holds space for complicating factors, especially the ways that beauty standards differ across race, class, and culture.
216 pages, Hardcover
First published July 13, 2021
21 people are currently reading
2399 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
March 14, 2021
Wow. This book was incredible…I’m not even sure where to begin. Reading this book makes me feel seen, it puts into words the confusing, intangible, vexing internal struggle that many women I know face when it comes to makeup. It voices and confirms its deep social, economical, political, and racial history. It gives weight to something that is usually dismissed as vain and frivolous simply because it is more often than not associated with women.
This book is so well researched. It covers endless ways makeup has been used in countries across the world, from women wearing red lipstick in defiance of Hitler during WWII or to oppose government action in Nicaraguan protests, to the use of makeup by Transformistas in Venezuela, to Japanese women using it to maintain femininity as they entered the workplace during WWI, to skin bleaching in India, to government control of appearance in North Korea…. And throughout all that the author incorporates the racism, sexism, homophobia, capitalism, and consumerism that have become entangled with the evolution of makeup. She does a fantastic job of acknowledging that while this is often considered a women’s issue, women of color and LGBTQ individuals are often judged most harshly, have the most risk, and are the most harmed in going against the dominant culture in the world of makeup.
I can’t say enough good about this book. It is a must read, especially for anyone who thinks makeup and the effect its had is insignificant. I doubt you could read this book without learning something new.
This book is so well researched. It covers endless ways makeup has been used in countries across the world, from women wearing red lipstick in defiance of Hitler during WWII or to oppose government action in Nicaraguan protests, to the use of makeup by Transformistas in Venezuela, to Japanese women using it to maintain femininity as they entered the workplace during WWI, to skin bleaching in India, to government control of appearance in North Korea…. And throughout all that the author incorporates the racism, sexism, homophobia, capitalism, and consumerism that have become entangled with the evolution of makeup. She does a fantastic job of acknowledging that while this is often considered a women’s issue, women of color and LGBTQ individuals are often judged most harshly, have the most risk, and are the most harmed in going against the dominant culture in the world of makeup.
I can’t say enough good about this book. It is a must read, especially for anyone who thinks makeup and the effect its had is insignificant. I doubt you could read this book without learning something new.
October 31, 2021
3.5 rounded down
I both love and wear makeup, but not without some quibbles and awareness of the ways in which that contributes and is influenced by beauty standards and culture, so this topic immediately intrigued me! The author certainly touches on history and evolution of makeup and it's use/standard, but the focus is less on history and more on how beauty, and by extension makeup, intersects with power and power structures. I thought it was interesting, but I'm not totally sure what the point of the book was, or the particular message. It touched on a lot of different points but it never seemed to go all that deep. It sort of read like "we use makeup for a bunch of reasons, some of which have to do with access to greater social standing" and like... yes, and? I just wanted something with a bit more depth and/or more of a pointed focus.
I both love and wear makeup, but not without some quibbles and awareness of the ways in which that contributes and is influenced by beauty standards and culture, so this topic immediately intrigued me! The author certainly touches on history and evolution of makeup and it's use/standard, but the focus is less on history and more on how beauty, and by extension makeup, intersects with power and power structures. I thought it was interesting, but I'm not totally sure what the point of the book was, or the particular message. It touched on a lot of different points but it never seemed to go all that deep. It sort of read like "we use makeup for a bunch of reasons, some of which have to do with access to greater social standing" and like... yes, and? I just wanted something with a bit more depth and/or more of a pointed focus.
July 28, 2021
I've spent the last few days thinking about how to rate this book.
First of all, this was not what I thought it was going to be - I expected a history-heavy exposée of beauty culture, denouncing how it traps women in its inattainable expectations. In reality, it did discuss the so-called "pitfalls" of beauty culture, but also focused quite a bit on the alleged power it gives women and men. Sometimes, this argument made sense - I loved learning about the part red lipstick played in many revolutionary movements led by latina women, for example - but other times it just fell flat. Most makeup trends were created by men, based on what men perceive as attractive. Most beauty brands are owned by men. Not addressing that felt... weird. I do think it's a nice introductory work, since it does talk about many of the struggles faced by black people and gender nonconforming men that might be new to a lot of people.
First of all, this was not what I thought it was going to be - I expected a history-heavy exposée of beauty culture, denouncing how it traps women in its inattainable expectations. In reality, it did discuss the so-called "pitfalls" of beauty culture, but also focused quite a bit on the alleged power it gives women and men. Sometimes, this argument made sense - I loved learning about the part red lipstick played in many revolutionary movements led by latina women, for example - but other times it just fell flat. Most makeup trends were created by men, based on what men perceive as attractive. Most beauty brands are owned by men. Not addressing that felt... weird. I do think it's a nice introductory work, since it does talk about many of the struggles faced by black people and gender nonconforming men that might be new to a lot of people.
September 29, 2021
Make up is not frivolous at all, and is not only about beauty. It is inextricably tied to socio-cultural norms.
1. Make-up used to be only for the elite. The queen would set the trend. Then make up is mass produced post-industrial revolution. Slaves and the poor are not expected to wear makeup, and wearing them thus can make a woman appear higher in the social hierarchy.
2. Every work place has its rule for makeup. Men virtually never need to worry about it (except in East Asia$; women are held to an exact standard: lips should not be too red, eye shadows should not be too bright etc. Not wearing up (gasp) is of course unacceptable.
3. Hillary Clinton understood this during her campaign. It is not her policy and charisma that matters; is how red her lipstick is that matters.
4. Looks, enhanced by makeup, can be used by women to gain power. The emperor Wu Zhe Tian in ancient China understood it; Queen Elizabeth the Virgin Queen understood it too, even ordering unflattering paintings destroyed in her palace.
5. Makeup was used by spies to alter their appearance, protesters in Hong Kong to evade facial recognition AI, LBGTQ people to defy established cis-sexual world.
6. People of colour were not expected to wear makeup and for a long time makeup companies did not make shades suitable for them. They are also held to a different standard as compared to even White women.
7. Makeup was used by Elizabeth Arden to create exclusivity. Nowadays it is more mass marker.
Wow! I was just blown away by this book!
1. Make-up used to be only for the elite. The queen would set the trend. Then make up is mass produced post-industrial revolution. Slaves and the poor are not expected to wear makeup, and wearing them thus can make a woman appear higher in the social hierarchy.
2. Every work place has its rule for makeup. Men virtually never need to worry about it (except in East Asia$; women are held to an exact standard: lips should not be too red, eye shadows should not be too bright etc. Not wearing up (gasp) is of course unacceptable.
3. Hillary Clinton understood this during her campaign. It is not her policy and charisma that matters; is how red her lipstick is that matters.
4. Looks, enhanced by makeup, can be used by women to gain power. The emperor Wu Zhe Tian in ancient China understood it; Queen Elizabeth the Virgin Queen understood it too, even ordering unflattering paintings destroyed in her palace.
5. Makeup was used by spies to alter their appearance, protesters in Hong Kong to evade facial recognition AI, LBGTQ people to defy established cis-sexual world.
6. People of colour were not expected to wear makeup and for a long time makeup companies did not make shades suitable for them. They are also held to a different standard as compared to even White women.
7. Makeup was used by Elizabeth Arden to create exclusivity. Nowadays it is more mass marker.
Wow! I was just blown away by this book!
March 8, 2022
I was hoping for some deeper analysis of beauty culture throughout history, but this was basically an overview which felt mainly drawn from popular online articles and recent makeup documentaries. As an overview it’s decent, but it could have been so much more.
September 27, 2022
In my opinion, the title of this book should have been BEAUTY POLITICS: HOW APPEARANCE KEEPS (AND PREVENTS OTHERS) FROM POWER.
This is less a history of makeup within beauty culture (as the title suggested to me), and more a dive into how made up appearances intersect with economics, social values, racism, capitalism and politics.
Nudson covers makeup as a tool of resistance, but also focuses on its intersection with the workplace (i.e. how serious can she be with all that makeup?), dating (i.e. do red lips mean she's promiscuous?), and the harsher experiences of minorities compared to white women (i.e. LGBTQ individuals, people of color). The content is easy to read, but not super memorable.
This is less a history of makeup within beauty culture (as the title suggested to me), and more a dive into how made up appearances intersect with economics, social values, racism, capitalism and politics.
Nudson covers makeup as a tool of resistance, but also focuses on its intersection with the workplace (i.e. how serious can she be with all that makeup?), dating (i.e. do red lips mean she's promiscuous?), and the harsher experiences of minorities compared to white women (i.e. LGBTQ individuals, people of color). The content is easy to read, but not super memorable.
October 15, 2021
Interesting. Didn’t have much depth or analysis but definitely interesting. Did read like a high school senior’s research paper at times though.
July 11, 2022
A comprehensive and detailed look into beauty culture. I've been fascinated by beauty culture and appearance this year mainly because my self confidence has plunged to ground zero. Ever since I've cut my hair wrongly and looked like a silly baby, I feel less beautiful and less attractive. But I wonder why I even feel that way. That's the problem with the male gaze. Constantly, even when I'm alone, I feel the need to perform. The need to be beautiful and perfect. I hate it.
This book helped me to peel back layers of beauty culture and understand why I'm acting this way. Centuries of cultural expectations and beauty standards have been foisted on us. It's not our fault that we feel like we are underperforming simply because we do not conform. Every year, they seem to raise the bar higher and higher. I'm exhausted just thinking of how much work it takes to maintain one's appearance these days.
The book covers a few female cultural icons from different countries who used their looks to their advantage and yet had to conform to the rigid beauty standards of their time. I liked reading about Empress Wu Ze Tian and Josephine Baker. I also liked that the author covered black beauty and the role of beauty shops and beauty culture in fighting for civil rights, women's votes and black emancipation. I feel I've learned a lot from this book, especially the myth about the suffragettes wearing red lipstick to the women's march. Actually, they most likely did not wear it because they wanted to look respectable. Now the red lip takes on a variety of meanings from rebellion to conformity to bravery and beauty.
I also liked reading about the role of beauty in LGBTQ communities and how marginalized communities take their own appearances into their own hands, using their physical appearance to assert their existence. The author writes with sensitivity about the topics such as trans femicide, homophobia, the Stonewall Riots etc.
I think I'll definitely be appreciating every swipe of lipstick and eyeshadow I put on now. Reading this book led me to see it in a different light since a long time ago, beauty was witchcraft and it was outlawed. How times have changed now!
This book helped me to peel back layers of beauty culture and understand why I'm acting this way. Centuries of cultural expectations and beauty standards have been foisted on us. It's not our fault that we feel like we are underperforming simply because we do not conform. Every year, they seem to raise the bar higher and higher. I'm exhausted just thinking of how much work it takes to maintain one's appearance these days.
The book covers a few female cultural icons from different countries who used their looks to their advantage and yet had to conform to the rigid beauty standards of their time. I liked reading about Empress Wu Ze Tian and Josephine Baker. I also liked that the author covered black beauty and the role of beauty shops and beauty culture in fighting for civil rights, women's votes and black emancipation. I feel I've learned a lot from this book, especially the myth about the suffragettes wearing red lipstick to the women's march. Actually, they most likely did not wear it because they wanted to look respectable. Now the red lip takes on a variety of meanings from rebellion to conformity to bravery and beauty.
I also liked reading about the role of beauty in LGBTQ communities and how marginalized communities take their own appearances into their own hands, using their physical appearance to assert their existence. The author writes with sensitivity about the topics such as trans femicide, homophobia, the Stonewall Riots etc.
I think I'll definitely be appreciating every swipe of lipstick and eyeshadow I put on now. Reading this book led me to see it in a different light since a long time ago, beauty was witchcraft and it was outlawed. How times have changed now!
March 11, 2024
This is a great read for someone like me who is completely out of the loop in regard to makeup. This book explains the concept of makeup and facial care from a psychological, practical, and at times spiritual point of view. Detailing the history from the early days when facial creams were passed down through generations cultures around the world to the modern day social media beauty industry, this is an observation and evaluation.
Here’s an example of this in a quote that I found interesting:
“A theory among some psychology researchers claims that people's "attraction to sparkle" comes from the innate need to find water! Light dances across liquid the way it may scatter across someone's ruby red lips, quenching a different kind of thirst. These visual signals can attract the glance of a partner, but more than that, they can communicate a desire to be looked at.”
Here’s an example of this in a quote that I found interesting:
“A theory among some psychology researchers claims that people's "attraction to sparkle" comes from the innate need to find water! Light dances across liquid the way it may scatter across someone's ruby red lips, quenching a different kind of thirst. These visual signals can attract the glance of a partner, but more than that, they can communicate a desire to be looked at.”
January 4, 2023
I got a handful of new stories from this but I can’t say I gleaned any new or particularly interesting insights from it. I was really hoping for even a slightly deeper read on Kim but didn’t get that.
August 30, 2021
This is a solid, no-nonsense, well researched book. The historical arc of make-up is well presented. But I think I missed the point. Sure, different people through the ages have worn make-up for different reasons. We knew that. What it signifies changes over time and how it is wielded shifts. I kept waiting for a new perspective but instead learned new facts (which was well done and enjoyable, but not why I read the book). It reminded me of that friend that refuses to have an opinion and continues to argue both sides of an argument. I really enjoyed this book, I just wish I knew what author wanted me to take away from it.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for this honest review.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for this honest review.
July 19, 2022
Make-up and beauty culture is political. It's personal. It's social. It can be a means of self-expression or means of conformity. It can be racist. It can be classist. It can break down gender norms and roles, and on the flip side reinforce them. It's another cog of capitalism, but can also be a tool of protest. It can be used, across time and history and cultures, to brand women as vain and superficial while at the same time wearing make-up was a necessary part of women succeeding in society or the workforce. It can be a prison, or it can be liberating. It's not one thing, ever-changing depending on context, but was it certainly can't be is dismissed or ignored.
Anyway, anyone interested in the social, political, or historical role of cosmetics across time and cultures, this is the book to read.
Anyway, anyone interested in the social, political, or historical role of cosmetics across time and cultures, this is the book to read.
August 23, 2021
Kept putting this one down, as it was fact heavy. Some interesting topics, but a lot I was already familiar with. Might be a good read for college level students studying cosmetology?
September 15, 2022
I loved all the history and stories in the book about women (and trans women) who exploited beauty/gender politics to gain power or to resist the status quo — eg the story of the Chinese empress and Josephine Baker. As a poc woman, I felt seen by this book. It is so thorough. It covers the role of beauty & make-up across different cultural groups and genders. I liked how it wasn’t preachy, considering the fact that most women who write books critiquing beauty culture are white women who don’t wear make up. I liked the POV of how beauty politics inevitably caused the identity of a women to be associated with consumerism and capitalism. Nudson also does an amazing job of explaining class beauty.
Should be required reading for all who consume make up and beauty products. Great read!
Should be required reading for all who consume make up and beauty products. Great read!
March 29, 2023
I listened to the audiobook version which was very good. Nudson takes a diverse, historical and cultural approach to makeup and beauty culture. The author rightfully assesses the ways in which makeup is a tool for fitting in as much as it is a tool for protest and standing out. The consequences wearing or not wearing it has had on different groups throughout history. It delves into a lot of interesting information and while I thought a few poignant points were made throughout, the book lacks a strong conclusion and really doesn’t have much of anything to say beyond presenting us these facts. I would have liked to see this information put into a thesis statement but primarily Nudson gives us the information and that’s all.
January 29, 2022
Thankful this was not another book on beauty that only centers white cishet women. It serves as a quick historical overview of changing roles and trends in beauty, and although Nudson doesn’t go too into depth on any subtopic, this serves as a great introduction/overview of the history of makeup and beauty culture. I would have preferred to hear more about makeup/beauty culture in Indigenous cultures as well as its role in gender presentation — these sections felt glossed over, especially considering their amount in the book combined is barely more than the entire half of a chapter dedicated to just Empress Wu.
April 17, 2023
Overall, a great study on the power of makeup 💄 in history. Basically, makeup can be oppressive ( PAM AM women force to adapt to a one size look) or how it can be a vector for self-expression ( for example James Charles expressing his Individuality and sexuality.) The author notes that women who are perceived as beautiful are considered more intelligent and capable and that domains that is considered feminine are less respected ( such as makeup.) Makeup is a complicated subject, I would have liked for the author to explore how unregulated the cosmetics industry is in the modern day ( she did explore this with her Queen Elizabeth narrative.)
June 17, 2022
I don't really know what to say about this book. On the one hand I enjoyed it, but on the other I don't feel like I learned anything. This was less of a trip into the history and nature of makeup and more of an overview of some tangentially connected factoids. The narrator was great though.
So, fun if you want to give your brain a rest, but not something that will leave you feeling like you learned something new and substantial.
So, fun if you want to give your brain a rest, but not something that will leave you feeling like you learned something new and substantial.
October 4, 2021
Mind-opening book discussing how make up is portrayed in the society at different times. I would not have known that such minor grooming act is a symbol for rights movements in our history if I did not read this book. All of us should read this book to understand the existence of make up, for good or for bad. With hindsight, we should appreciate and respect it's existence.
October 19, 2021
This book was not at all what I thought it would be about. I thought it would focus on makeup and beauty history. Nope. It was a skewed political rant about racism, sexism, and denying the reality of gender differences as determined by genetics. I give it 2 stars for some of the factual information. I don't give it more than that because the author's political views pollute the story.
November 11, 2021
Such a great book! I feel like I learned a lot while reading this book and enjoyed every minute of it. I absolutely loved reading the history behind makeup, I’ve never read anything like it! I also love that this author is local and lives in my area. If you love makeup, this one is definitely for you!
November 6, 2021
Thank you Goodreads for the giveaway copy of "All Made Up" by Rae Nudson. As many others have said, this book wasn't what I expected. That said, I appreciated learning about some of the ways that makeup has played a role in politics and protests.
December 19, 2024
2.5 rating. Interesting topic, poor execution. Reads like a college student's term paper, not a publication by a professional writer. This author's style is better suited to magazine articles than a full length non-fiction book.
August 16, 2021
Interesting! I enjoyed this book a lot. Some of it kinda seems like common sense but still a book where you can learn a lot and it’s v relevant
October 31, 2021
Makeup and how it has defined power, identity, rebellion and freedom of expression over the ages . A good read !
January 7, 2022
somewhat informative? not bad, but it also kind of covered too much yet not at all at the same time??
June 19, 2023
Lots of interesting anecdotes and takes on makeup through history. Especially enjoyed learning about Josephine Baker's role as a spy in WWII
September 8, 2023
Interesting thesis, but unnecessarily repetitive and scholastic, making it a dry, boring read.
March 28, 2024
mehhhhhhhhh
June 8, 2024
The content was ok, but I never want to listen to an audiobook read by the narrator again.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews