Once upon a time, long before this book blog, I used to write a beauty blog. So when I heard there was a book all about eyeliner, I knew I had to pick it up!
Eyeliner: A Cultural History by Zahra Hankir is not a how-to about eyeliner application. It’s not a profile of a single cosmetics company. It is instead a rather wide-reaching look at the history and current use of eyeliner in a variety of cultures around the world. It’s the sort of micro-history I was hoping for when I read Pockets earlier this year, a real deep-dive into a topic not a lot of people think of.
From the kohl worn in ancient Egypt to today’s graphic liner looks on Instagram, Hankir looks at the various uses eyeliner products have had over the years: physical protection of the eyes; class marker; beautifier, artistic statement, and more. The author examines the use of liner by people of all genders, including drag performers, and numerous races. We learn how geisha and kabuki actors apply their makeup in Japan, how liner helps the audience read the important eye movements in classical Indian dance forms, and even how eyeliner can be part of a political statement.
I found this book very informative and interesting, but I did struggle a bit with the audiobook. The narrator sounded a bit like a BBC news presenter, and so when she would be discussing, say, the price of different liners in some country, I would start to lose focus as it would feel like an economics report rather than a book! This is definitely the sort of thing I would have skimmed over in a physical or ebook edition. I eventually bumped the speed on this one up to 110%, and I would have gone faster if I could handle how the narrator’s voice sounded at 125% or more.
I definitely recommend this to anyone who has an interest in makeup. You’ll learn a lot, you’ll be better informed about the origins of certain cosmetic looks, and you’ll probably be inspired to go put on some eyeliner. I sure was!
CWs and TWs: If you think that a book about makeup is just going to be light and fluffy, you should know that it touches on issues like the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, and the resultant protests; sexism; racism; homophobia; and Any Winehouse’s mental health struggles, addiction, and suicide. All of these are discussed in a somewhat sensitive manner, but there’s still a lot of heavy stuff in here.
Format and Source: Audiobook from Sno-Isle Libraries.
Book Bingo Prompts
Brick & Mortar: eBook or Audiobook. Most of what I read is an ebook or audiobook. This was already on my TBR when I started the Book Bingo Project and didn’t necessarily fit any of the other prompts, so I stuck it in this easy square.
Current Bingo Challenge Progress
Nook & Cranny (Card 1): 8 out of 25 prompts complete. 0 bingos.
Nook & Cranny (Card 2): 4 out of 25 prompts complete. 0 bingos.
Brick & Mortar: 18 out of 25 prompts complete. 3 bingos.