Made Up

July 24, 2020

Laham (business, marketing, advertising, Diablo Valley Coll.; The Con Game: A Failure of Trust) provides a thoughtfully argued, well-documented study of how the beauty industry has created "unattainable beauty standards" in order to ensure its products sell. Laham displays a solid awareness of corporate rhetoric, which differentiates her approach from more theoretical narratives applied to the cosmetically altered and shaped female body since the work of Susan Bordo, Naomi Wolf, and others. However, beginning with a foreword by cosmetic dermatologist Jerome Potozkin, this work seems simultaneously to condone and condemn women's cosmetic practices. Organized into sections focused on the beauty industry, standards of beauty, advertising, and the dramatic increases in body modification practices, Laham explains why women fear aging, how they react to it, and what the beauty industry does to ensure this anxiety fuels consumerism. Laham considers the history of beauty myths from the ancient Egyptian period to our present cultural moment, and while she highlights heterosexist, racist, classist beauty standards, her book feels descriptive rather than polemical, despite the call to action implied in the subtitle. VERDICT An academic approach to a critical subject; best suited for scholars and researchers of sociology and women's studies. --Emily Bowles, Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2020
Beauty products constitute a multi-billion-, fast approaching trillion-dollar-a-year global industry. What's fueling this demand? As business professor Laham points out, humans have been trying to improve their appearances for millennia. After a whirlwind review of some pretty dubious and rather disgusting historical practices, she exposes the pseudo-scientific, psychologically diabolical advertising campaigns that manipulate consumers into a constant quest for personal enhancement. Laham profiles entrepreneurs, identifies trends that are driving the markets: green products; "mampering" (pampering for men); indie and niche brands; digital marketing and online influencers, and an increase in cosmetic surgery and procedures. She also shares disturbing information about the lack of government regulations and ingredient labeling guidelines. Laham unmasks advertising dirty tricks: celebrity endorsements, digital photoshopping, sexual exploitation and objectification, body shaming. Whether considering evolving definitions of "the perfect woman" or debunking advertising claims, the text offers relatable examples and engaging anecdotes. There are nods to current positive innovations, including body diversity, authenticity, and inclusivity. This is a thoughtful consideration of a timely and ever-popular topic, and should have wide appeal.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)