A review by katie0528
Eyeliner: A Cultural History by Zahra Hankir

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

An exploration of eyeliner across history, gender, and cultures in a way that highlights its importance to people's confidence, heritage, and activism. Hankir travels the world, across 5 continents interviewing people about their relationship with eyeliner. Not only does she explore kohl's history and roots in ancient Egypt, she explores each culture's relationship with eyeliner historically, up through present day practices, from Iranian women who use it as a form of political protest, to traditional dancers in India, to courtship practices in Africa, to drag queens and other queer performers who use makeup to develop their personas, to Black and Brown beauty inflencers trying to carve out a space for themselves in modern day. Hankir, a Lebenese-British writer, is not afraid to discuss topics of racism in the beauty industry, but also begrudges nobody their own personal styles.

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