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The House of Beauty
Lessons from the Image Industry
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Check link for latest rating. ( 228 ratings, 52 reviews)
Brief Description
So begins Arabelle Sicardi's blazingly original collection of essays. A former beauty editor, Arabelle has devoted their entire adult life to the subject of beauty—they have analysed it, criticised it, praised it, benefited from it, loathed it. Now, in The House of Beauty, they get to...
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Description
So begins Arabelle Sicardi's blazingly original collection of essays. A former beauty editor, Arabelle has devoted their entire adult life to the subject of beauty—they have analysed it, criticised it, praised it, benefited from it, loathed it. Now, in The House of Beauty, they get to the contradictions at the heart of it: beauty and horror, two sides of the same coin.
With their signature blend of intellectual rigour and poetic sensibility, Arabelle explores how beauty myths are crafted, sold, and weaponised, from corporate boardrooms to your local nail salon. Follow alongside Arabelle as they trace the global trail of the shimmering mica in your beauty products, choose-your-own-adventure-style, or journey into the past to unearth the sinister connection between fragrance and fascism. Bear witness as they visit a tech convention focused on the next horrifying frontier of body modification, or as they ask what's at stake in the braids we weave in our hair. Sharp yet tender in their observations, Arabelle challenges readers to reconsider beauty as more than a product of consumption, inviting a vision of beauty rooted in community and self-care, one that transcends industry-driven ideals.
Equal parts exposé and cultural reckoning, The House of Beauty cracks open an industry that sells dreams and wields power. Once you have encountered Arabelle's words, there is no looking back.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780393531626
Publisher: WW Norton & Co
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 14 October 2025
Country: United States
Imprint: WW Norton & Co
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 28.0mm
Width: 147.0mm
Height: 218.0mm
Weight: 398g
Pages: 288
About the Author
Arabelle Sicardi is a Taiwanese American writer exploring beauty, care, and crisis. They’ve written for Allure, Teen Vogue, and the Cut; run the scent collective Perfumed Pages; and founded the Museum of Nails Foundation. They split their time between Los Angeles, California, and New York City.
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