New York Times
technology columnist Riordan's collection of the fascinating stories behind such innovations as the bra and swivel lipstick is neither a feminist polemic against the beauty industry nor a frivolous celebration of it. While Riordan analyzes the cultural meanings of various Western feminine beauty ideals, such as hairless underarms and long, shiny nails, she devotes her most energetic descriptions to the often amusing and sometimes horrifying tales of beauty industry entrepreneurs, chemists and industrialists who experimented wildly, and at times disastrously, with such materials as vulcanized rubber, nitrocellulose and even radiation. Beginning with the eyes and ending with the "derriere" (in an informative account of the bustle), Riordan delights in the engineering feats and happy accidents that spurred the evolution of some of the humblest objects in our bathroom cabinets. Among other tales, she recounts how hydrogenated cottonseed oil revolutionized the eyebrow pencil, how the nail polish industry borrowed from the automobile industry and how Hazel Bishop invented a kiss-proof formula for lipstick but found her product eclipsed by Revlon's shrewd advertising campaign. Riordan's meticulous research delves into an age before federal health regulations, uncovering such nasties as the phenol face peel, which required the face to be painted with three coats of carbolic acid. The combination of Riordan's brilliant style, which perfectly captures the pathos and comedy of the subject, and her relish for the minutiae of technological history makes this an irresistible and sometimes macabre treat for anyone curious about the history of everyday life. Agent, Kris Dahl for ICM.
(On sale Oct. 5)
