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Foundry
Claire Harris
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English
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FACE VALUE

Autumn Whitefield-Madrano

The Hidden Ways Beauty Shapes Women's Lives

A thought-provoking examination of how we think and talk about beauty today—and the unexpected and often positive ways that beauty shapes our lives.
For decades, we’ve discussed our insecurities in the face of idealized, retouched, impossibly perfect images. We’ve worried primping and preening are a distraction and a trap. But have we focused too much on beauty’s negative influence?

In Face Value, journalist Autumn Whitefield-Madrano thoughtfully examines the relationship between appearance and science, social media, sex, friendship, language, and advertising to show how beauty actually affects us day to day. Through meticulous research and interviews with dozens of women across all walks of life, she reveals surprising findings, like that wearing makeup can actually relax you, that you can convince people you’re better looking just by tweaking your personality, and the ways beauty can be a powerful tool of connection among women.

Equal parts social commentary, cultural analysis, careful investigation, and powerful personal anecdotes, Face Value is provocative and empowering—and a great conversation starter for women everywhere.

Autumn Whitefield-Madrano is the creator of the popular website The Beheld, which examines questions behind personal appearance and is syndicated at The New Inquiry. She writes for Marie Claire, Ms., and Salon, and previously worked at Glamour and CosmoGirl. She is the author of Face Value: The Hidden Ways Beauty Shapes Women’s Lives.
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Book

Published 2016-06-21 by Simon & Schuster

Book

Published 2016-06-21 by Simon & Schuster

Comments

Autumn Whitefield-Madrano explores how our looks affect our lives, including in light of today’s technology. Her work weaves together real-life anecdotes and in-depth research, creating an interesting cultural analysis.

Beauty may be a $58.3 billion industry, but Face Value provides an antidote to the popular idea that women are beauty's mindless victims. Drawing upon an arsenal of science, interviews, and a close examination of her own experiences, Autumn Whitefield-Madrano shows that beauty is neither an apolitical plaything nor women’s all-powerful bête noire. Fresh, compassionate, and funny, Face Value will make you rethink your own relationship with beauty.

The author provides women with not only hard and social science behind their gender's obsession with beauty and looks, and how it may be related to evolution, but also explores the implications of wanting to be pretty in a world that requires women to be fierce competitors with men…nuances [are] skillfully navigated as the book outlines the history, theory, and expert feminist voices who have been shaping the female view of self for generations. This is a valuable addition to contemporary feminist writing, providing much-needed perspective to a pervasive issue that young women and staunch feminists will glean much from, whether they agree with the author's findings or not. Ideal for readers new to the subject but also great for anyone interested in social science and history.