What do you think?
Rate this book
Hope in a Jar: The Making of America's Beauty Culture
How did powder and paint, once scorned as immoral, become indispensable to millions of respectable women? How did a Victorian "kitchen physic," as homemade cosmetics were called, become a multi-billion-dollar industry? In Hope in a Jar, historian Kathy Peiss gives us a vivid history in which women, far from being pawns and victims, used makeup to declare their freedom, identity, and sexual allure as they flocked to enter public life. She highlights the leading role of black and white women-Helena Rubenstein and Annie Turnbo Malone, Elizabeth Arden and Madame C. J. Walker-in shaping a unique industry that relied less on advertising than on women's customs of visiting ("Avon calling") and conversation. From New York's genteel enameling studios to Memphis's straightening parlors, Peiss depicts the beauty trades that thrived until the 1920s, when corporations run by men entered the lucrative field, creating a mass consumer culture that codified modern femininity. Replete with the voices and experiences of ordinary women, Hope in a Jar is a richly textured account of how women created the cosmetics industry and cosmetics created the modern woman.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
24 people are currently reading
1620 people want to read
About the author
Kathy Peiss
18 books22 followersKathy Peiss is the Roy F. and Jeannette P. Nichols Professor of American History at the University of Pennsylvania, where she teaches courses on modern American cultural history and the history of American sexuality, women, and gender. Her research has examined the history of working women; working-class and interracial sexuality; leisure, style, and popular culture; the beauty industry in the U.S. and abroad; and libraries, information, and American cultural policy during World War II. She is particularly interested in the ways culture shapes the everyday lives and popular beliefs of Americans across time.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
December 3, 2020
In 1616 English writer Thomas Tuke warned that “a painted face is a false face…not a true face.” Poet Johne Donne wrote that women who painted their face were taking “the pencil out of God’s hand.”
This anxiety reached a fever pitch in the 19th century. In 1845 the first masquerade law in New York made it a crime to have your “face painted…or concealed, or be otherwise disguised” in public. Moralists declared that face paint was a form of “corporeal hypocrisy,” demanding that women “shun paints and artifice in the service of natural beauty.” The virtuous white woman was differentiated from the “painted woman” and “painted queen,” phrases used to demean sex workers and transfeminine people who wore reddened cheeks and darkened eyelids.
Scientists argued that the “beauty of white skin expressed Anglo-Saxon virtue and civilization,” in comparison to the painted faces of Indigenous peoples. Anthropologist Robert Shufeldt ranked the beauty of Indigenous women arguing that the most “unattractive women” used paint on their faces. Male critics argued that face paint reflected the “lingering taint of the savage” and that makeup was a mask that concealed the true nature of person.
Everything changed with the invention of photography. Previously, people’s image was left to the imagination. Suddenly the world became a stage. Respectable women began to use styles historically associated with theater and sex work. Renowned female impersonator Julian Eltinge sold their own cosmetic line offering “a chance for every woman to be as beautiful as Julian Eltinge.” The emerging cosmetics industry rebranded face paint as “makeup,” arguing that instead of violating the natural order, beautifying actually “honored nature’s law.”
Dr. Peiss argues that the success of cosmetics involved invisibilizing what people once saw as a mask and re-training the eye to perceive makeup as a natural feature of women’s faces. What had once been denounced as “female vice” when associated with marginalized women, was now celebrated as “glamour” when adopted by the mainstream. Despite this shift, mistreatment of sex workers and transfeminine people persisted. What would a world look like that valued people’s livelihood as much as their looks?
This anxiety reached a fever pitch in the 19th century. In 1845 the first masquerade law in New York made it a crime to have your “face painted…or concealed, or be otherwise disguised” in public. Moralists declared that face paint was a form of “corporeal hypocrisy,” demanding that women “shun paints and artifice in the service of natural beauty.” The virtuous white woman was differentiated from the “painted woman” and “painted queen,” phrases used to demean sex workers and transfeminine people who wore reddened cheeks and darkened eyelids.
Scientists argued that the “beauty of white skin expressed Anglo-Saxon virtue and civilization,” in comparison to the painted faces of Indigenous peoples. Anthropologist Robert Shufeldt ranked the beauty of Indigenous women arguing that the most “unattractive women” used paint on their faces. Male critics argued that face paint reflected the “lingering taint of the savage” and that makeup was a mask that concealed the true nature of person.
Everything changed with the invention of photography. Previously, people’s image was left to the imagination. Suddenly the world became a stage. Respectable women began to use styles historically associated with theater and sex work. Renowned female impersonator Julian Eltinge sold their own cosmetic line offering “a chance for every woman to be as beautiful as Julian Eltinge.” The emerging cosmetics industry rebranded face paint as “makeup,” arguing that instead of violating the natural order, beautifying actually “honored nature’s law.”
Dr. Peiss argues that the success of cosmetics involved invisibilizing what people once saw as a mask and re-training the eye to perceive makeup as a natural feature of women’s faces. What had once been denounced as “female vice” when associated with marginalized women, was now celebrated as “glamour” when adopted by the mainstream. Despite this shift, mistreatment of sex workers and transfeminine people persisted. What would a world look like that valued people’s livelihood as much as their looks?
February 27, 2009
Interesting look at the history and sociology of cosmetic use in the United States, showing how changing culture made makeup more acceptable.
Of particular note was the history of the cosmetics industry and the political implications of women-owned (including women of color) businesses being co-opted by male-owned conglomerates.
Makeup mavens, culture buffs and sociology types will all enjoy this book.
Of particular note was the history of the cosmetics industry and the political implications of women-owned (including women of color) businesses being co-opted by male-owned conglomerates.
Makeup mavens, culture buffs and sociology types will all enjoy this book.
November 7, 2013
I've been a part of many conversations about objectification of women by our media culture and absurdness of the beauty standarts planted in our heads since we were kids, and this book made me think over my arguments again.
I'm not gonna recite everything I've read here that changed the way I look at things, in fact I'm just gonna mention one little something.
We always want what we don't have.
Two hundreds years ago make-up was practically a sin among the middle and upper class, and in the past century women did a lot to get the right to alter their complexion without being called a prostitute. Finally cosmetics became affordable its usage stopped being a social suicide, its consuption skyrocketed and we don't know where to stop anymore. Making up became a significant part of our culture, and looking "naturally beautiful" now demands a full make-up kit.
Anyways.
Its a good thought-provoking reading if you like history and interested in how our beauty culture got to where it is today. And even though the book speaks specifically about american beauty culture, its easy to relate to other parts of the world.
Oh, and there's something about the evolution of beauty preparations for men too.
I'm not gonna recite everything I've read here that changed the way I look at things, in fact I'm just gonna mention one little something.
We always want what we don't have.
Two hundreds years ago make-up was practically a sin among the middle and upper class, and in the past century women did a lot to get the right to alter their complexion without being called a prostitute. Finally cosmetics became affordable its usage stopped being a social suicide, its consuption skyrocketed and we don't know where to stop anymore. Making up became a significant part of our culture, and looking "naturally beautiful" now demands a full make-up kit.
Anyways.
Its a good thought-provoking reading if you like history and interested in how our beauty culture got to where it is today. And even though the book speaks specifically about american beauty culture, its easy to relate to other parts of the world.
Oh, and there's something about the evolution of beauty preparations for men too.
August 8, 2022
This is a fascinating read that tells the history of American cosmetics in a remarkably fair way. Peiss is able to be critical of some industry practices while maintaining a nuanced portrayal of the (primarily) women who were and are the consumers and creators. I thought the discussion of cosmetics enforcing white supremacy was very well done, and she clearly understands that desires are complex and changing, and sometimes don't neatly align with our stated values. I like the academic tone and restrained voice in part because I can imagine this content being covered in a very obnoxious or belittling tone.
September 5, 2012
I had to buy this book for a women's history class in college, and I have kept it for the 10 years after because it's a great book to pick up and read when you want a little history and a little amusement/horror at what women do to themselves for the sake of beauty.
July 13, 2023
Cool book that does an excellent job distilling the cultural history of the popularization of beauty products in America. From painting with lead in the mid-1800s to toning down advertising of beauty products to meet the feminist demands of the 1970s. I was surprised at just how much visual material the author incorporated, all rather effectively. I also really appreciated that divisions between race and sexuality were followed for significant portions of the work (though I did notice there was significantly more coverage of gay men than lesbians, which struck me as a bit odd given the otherwise sole focus on women).
Even more praiseworthy is how the pace picks up as the book progresses. Often surveys like these start out with the flashiest material and slowly died down, but here it’s the other way around. I was grateful to get past that initial hump.
My only complaint, and it is not minor, is the writing style. With all the cool material and excellent historical work, the prose packaging is rather… cumbersome. There are entire paragraphs that I can completely go through and not understand at all what the purpose for the inclusion of that information was, unless I reread it a few times. It’d be one thing if I was just a bad reader like that (and I’m certainly not perfect) but I found that this is something I only really encounter when dealing with thick academic language. I feel bad, because I can’t really point out what is precisely causing the prose to be so jarring, but it is… It might be how she transitions from talking about her points versus primary sources. A lot of abrupt shifts that work well in a postmodern novel but not a detailed historical accounting.
Regardless, a great book, and definitely a go to for anyone with any interest in beauty products in America.
Even more praiseworthy is how the pace picks up as the book progresses. Often surveys like these start out with the flashiest material and slowly died down, but here it’s the other way around. I was grateful to get past that initial hump.
My only complaint, and it is not minor, is the writing style. With all the cool material and excellent historical work, the prose packaging is rather… cumbersome. There are entire paragraphs that I can completely go through and not understand at all what the purpose for the inclusion of that information was, unless I reread it a few times. It’d be one thing if I was just a bad reader like that (and I’m certainly not perfect) but I found that this is something I only really encounter when dealing with thick academic language. I feel bad, because I can’t really point out what is precisely causing the prose to be so jarring, but it is… It might be how she transitions from talking about her points versus primary sources. A lot of abrupt shifts that work well in a postmodern novel but not a detailed historical accounting.
Regardless, a great book, and definitely a go to for anyone with any interest in beauty products in America.
August 14, 2024
This book has a lot of similarities in tracing women's relationship to beauty commodities as Jane Nicholas's The Modern Girl (although the latter is set in Canada). Both works consider how women dealt with the coming of modernity, including through cosmetic practices. Peiss's work is detailed and includes great images of advertisements and comics that document core ideas about "being painted" or "using cosmetics" and the converging path these labels took. Yet, I find Peiss's emphasis on cosmetics as an avenue for women's success in the cosmetic market simplified and undercuts how much of the beauty industry serves to reinforce narrow beauty standards based on patriarchal whims. Even when women did succeed in the market, it is often on the backs or at the expense of other marginalized groups. Therefore, I like her early chapters, focusing on the differences between homemade and commercial products, the rise of photography and mirrors in the lives of women, etc. rather than her focus on the "positive" growth of a beauty culture reflective of capitalist, white heteropatrichial standards.
January 19, 2021
I really enjoyed reading this book! While it is quite long and heavy, I appreciated the exhaustive efforts put in, in researching these topics.
I appreciated how the author doesn't focus her discussion solely on upper class, White women, and rather intersects discussions of class, race, and social status into who wears makeup, and how they do. I do wish there had been a greater intersection of discussion of culture, but I recognize that this book was published in 1999, and how that time period influences the contents.
I appreciated how the author doesn't focus her discussion solely on upper class, White women, and rather intersects discussions of class, race, and social status into who wears makeup, and how they do. I do wish there had been a greater intersection of discussion of culture, but I recognize that this book was published in 1999, and how that time period influences the contents.
April 8, 2020
the most comprehensive history and analysis i've read about beauty culture. i wish it didn't end with a reductive take on femme lesbians but here we are
February 25, 2022
Read this for an essay on the evolution of American beauty standards and it was so illuminating on the issue of excluding African American women from this subject and the practices of skin bleaching and hair straightening vs fake tanning / sun beds
June 21, 2017
An interesting read on the history of makeup and skin care regimens from their introduction in the marketplace of the mid-1800s to the modern usage. As one who uses little makeup today but remembers Avon ladies, discussions with parents over what and how much to wear, and plastic play makeup as well as beauty sets for practice, I found much of the history familiar even in my own life. It was interesting to see how the idea of "natural" and heavy or colorful makeup and what that supposedly says about a woman has shifted pendulum-style through the years. I also appreciated the comparisons between the makeup cultures of black and white women, the oft implied racism, and the way that advertising has been selling the idea of "the ideal" for all women in ways both good and bad for a long time.
December 1, 2011
Loved it. I think it's one of those books everyone should read - no matter what you think about the beauty industry, the history of the thing is edifying (and fascinating) and it's important to be forced to think about things you usually take for granted.
August 21, 2022
A very interesting read about the history of beauty standards and the development of cosmetics in 19th century to 20th century America. I'm very interested in the history of beauty and makeup so I picked up this book with the hopes of learning something awesome while at the same time enjoying myself.
I like how the author put so much research into this book. It's a fascinating read to know how American women view beauty back then and the things they do to follow beauty trends at the time. Another thing that is remarkable to me was how this book discussed how the new beauty trends at the time were affecting women of color. Another interesting read was about inventors and businessmen at the time who were taking advantage of the rise of the trend of women being more conscious of their face and body and then marketing their products by setting guidelines on what's beautiful and what's not and then selling their products to women in the hopes that they will look more desirable and beautiful. More than 100 years later, not much has changed. It also discussed how cosmetics were first invented and improved as years went on.
However, the part in the book I really like was the constant discussion of the evolving change in women's attitude toward makeup, haircare, body care, and skincare during the early 20th century. They use cosmetics as a tool to assert their freedom, allure, and identity. It's kinda similar to how most of us women in these current times view beauty as ONE of the important parts that help define our femininity and identity.
If you like beauty talk and history, you'll like this book.
I like how the author put so much research into this book. It's a fascinating read to know how American women view beauty back then and the things they do to follow beauty trends at the time. Another thing that is remarkable to me was how this book discussed how the new beauty trends at the time were affecting women of color. Another interesting read was about inventors and businessmen at the time who were taking advantage of the rise of the trend of women being more conscious of their face and body and then marketing their products by setting guidelines on what's beautiful and what's not and then selling their products to women in the hopes that they will look more desirable and beautiful. More than 100 years later, not much has changed. It also discussed how cosmetics were first invented and improved as years went on.
However, the part in the book I really like was the constant discussion of the evolving change in women's attitude toward makeup, haircare, body care, and skincare during the early 20th century. They use cosmetics as a tool to assert their freedom, allure, and identity. It's kinda similar to how most of us women in these current times view beauty as ONE of the important parts that help define our femininity and identity.
If you like beauty talk and history, you'll like this book.
June 23, 2022
I was looking for a book that would delve into the history and evolution of makeup. This author shared insights from various perspectives (e.g., moral, societal, race, age). Various makeup brands and marketing methods were addressed. I own both the print and Audible versions of this book. I really enjoyed listening to it when I drove! However, I found myself often wanting to highlight or take notes, which is a drawback to listening to audio books. Glad I have the print book as well because this is a great resource for fashion courses I teach!
June 10, 2017
Interesting and tackles most of the things I wanted to know about it... is it an OK criticism to say this book lacks the economic grounding I think it needs? A real look at how capital moves the power in cosmetics and the creation of industry and image? I suppose then it would be another book... but I often felt as though it was about to start off on this path only to have it change the subject? But it was very thorough!
May 14, 2019
Very interesting, it mostly talk about USA make up history but it could easily be applied to everywhere else, or at least to most places as most of the people and brands they discuss in this book are, to some extend, still available all over the world.
It’s really thought provoking, particularly when it touches the “minorities” and how the industry hasn’t changed that much.
I will try to re read this one in few years time and see how much has changed.
It’s really thought provoking, particularly when it touches the “minorities” and how the industry hasn’t changed that much.
I will try to re read this one in few years time and see how much has changed.
May 22, 2017
A bit dry but rife with interesting information from an intersectional feminist stance of the development of the North American Beauty industry. The last two chapters are an important read and could be read separately from the body and still have great impact.
August 20, 2019
Exhaustively researched and detailed, and does a good job of distinguishing the history/trajectory/success of black beauty as an industry and black-owned beauty companies, also acknowledging the Eurocentric beauty standards of the American industry. Very long, but good!
April 8, 2022
Interesting look at cosmetics through the years. My favorite quote was "Maybelline was for 'not too intelligent girls,' Revlon was for tarts, and Cover Grill was for nice girls." Exactly how I remember the 1960s.
August 17, 2018
Very informative and interesting if you are obsessed with make up like myself. However not a book I would probably read again. But interesting and happy to have read it once.
April 15, 2019
Great history of American cosmetics
Well researched and written history of cosmetics in U.S. Nuanced discussion of how makeup was perceived, produced, marketed and used.
Well researched and written history of cosmetics in U.S. Nuanced discussion of how makeup was perceived, produced, marketed and used.
August 20, 2019
This book was fine? But I don't feel like I really learned anything t
October 15, 2021
This was the reverse of what I was interested in - lots about pre-WWII culture and then let's and less for each decade thereafter.
March 23, 2022
interesting especially because so much of the beauty industry is still held quiet from consumers
July 23, 2023
Peiss covers a lot of ground in her look at the birth of America's beauty culture - from the history of make-up, to changing societal ideas about 'painted women' and feminism, to advertisements and their reception, to the major differences in how cosmetics were used, sold and understood by African Americans - and she does it all extremely well. She reads deeply in ads, editorials, testimonials and surveys, she intelligently chooses and discusses a number of illustrations, and she picked some great, evocative quotes on the subject - just a terrific, well-written work of great breadth and sharp insight.
incomplete
March 13, 2017SUPER interesting and complex.
April 16, 2020
This is a scholarly look at the beauty industry in the U.S. I don't think general readers would enjoy this very much, unless that particular subject is of very deep interest to them. Peiss uses some really interesting sources (her examination of African-American hair and beauty products, and the complicated and exploitative ways in which they were related to beauty companies marketing to white women is fascinating, for example.) The writing is unfortunately a bit dry, and could have benefitted from some stronger editing, as it feels like the argument for each chapter isn't particularly clear, and she's writing in circles.
It was an interesting read for me though, and I may use part of it in a Women in the US class in the future.
It was an interesting read for me though, and I may use part of it in a Women in the US class in the future.
February 10, 2017
I found this book incredibly interesting and I plan on recommending it to many of my friends. The only downside to this book is that there is an over abundance of repetitive facts. I felt like towards the middle we were stuck in the thirties for what seemed like a hundred years and then at the end when the entire regime of makeup is overthrown in the 70's it got barely three to five paragraphs?! I just thought that there could have been an extreme amount of things that could of been taken out and. A crap ton more that could have been put in. Overall, the book was fascinating. I am incredibly thankful that I live in an era that uses makeup as a mode for self expression and joy, not to mention the fact that I know it is perfectly safe to wear when I put it on due to law's and regulations. I found the different perspectives on race to be detailed and eye opening, it really pairs well with a novel I read called Americana in which the author talks about the politicalness and symbolism of black women's hair. All in all a really good book, just a little slow in the middle.
March 19, 2019
This was recommended by a youtuber I follow. She was doing the history of lipstick, and mentioned this book. I thought it would be an interesting read, so I picked it up.
I am not the target audience for this book. While it was kind of interesting, it was also really dry. It covers the history of makeup mostly from the 1800s through the Great Depression. That's... 75% of the book if I had to guess. The remaining portion was the late 30s through early 90s. For me, that's what I was most interested in. So I was disappointed it didn't covet it more.
I didn't realize the book was published in 1999, and kept wondering why the book didn't keep going.
I am not the target audience for this book. While it was kind of interesting, it was also really dry. It covers the history of makeup mostly from the 1800s through the Great Depression. That's... 75% of the book if I had to guess. The remaining portion was the late 30s through early 90s. For me, that's what I was most interested in. So I was disappointed it didn't covet it more.
I didn't realize the book was published in 1999, and kept wondering why the book didn't keep going.
April 10, 2015
I was pleasantly surprised by the scope of this book. Peiss covers the intersections of beauty and beauty culture in the U.S. with gender roles, race, ethnicity, class, and sexuality, and also describes the effects of development in consumer culture, mass marketing, fashion, feminism, and other social and economic trends. Most of her treatment focuses on the adoption of beauty culture and cosmetics into the mainstream culture during the late 19th and early 20th centuries - my one criticism would be that the final chapter covering the last 50ish years felt rushed. Still, Peiss provides a solid historical foundation from which to analyze and understand more modern shifts; for example, it's fascinating to see how rhetoric around beauty and femininity from those eras is still echoed today.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews