Inventing Beauty: A History of the Innovations That Have Made us BeautifulTeresa Riordan, author
I ran across this book sitting on the coffee table of the salon I went to before I became a stylist. A highly addictive book, it traces the development of the modern Western beauty industry from about the 1800s forward. As with most aspects of beauty aesthetic, the development of the beauty industry runs parallel with the social, political, and economical lives of women themselves. Riordan does a good job of outlining the major developments in areas such as makeup, hair, and fashion while injecting thoughtful social commentary along the way. It's educational without being argumentatively circular, and humorous without being dismissive.
A HIGHLY RECOMMENDED read!
