{"id":101658,"date":"2025-10-29T16:09:02","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T05:09:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.russh.com\/?p=101658"},"modified":"2025-10-29T16:09:59","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T05:09:59","slug":"books-on-beauty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.russh.com\/books-on-beauty\/","title":{"rendered":"The Beauty Shelf: 5 books that will change your perspective on beauty"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reading can be an escape, a way to gather knowledge, or a path to reshaping how you view the world. When the subject turns to beauty, though, it\u2019s often reduced to product breakdowns, skincare steps, or endless lists of ingredients. Yet beauty writing holds far more than that. It reveals how culture defines attractiveness, how marketing shapes illusions, and how our own reflection speaks back to us with truths we don\u2019t always expect. Below, Jordan Risa, founder of Seen Library, reflects on how literature can reframe beauty and expand the ways we learn to value ourselves.<\/p>\n

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Trick Mirror<\/em> by Jia Tolentino<\/h3>\n

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This whole book is a must-read but her essay \u201cAlways Be Optimising\u201d in particular talks about beauty and wellness today, and how social media influences our approach to them. Tolentino talks about how obsessed we are as a society with constant self-improvement and how the beauty and wellness industries sell the ideal as something we can attain \u2013 through workout classes or the newest makeup product \u2013 yet the goal posts always shift. It made me reflect on the ways we tell ourselves how what we do or buy is our choice, when in reality they are things we feel we have to do to keep up with the current beauty standards.<\/p>\n

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The Bluest Eye<\/em> by Toni Morrison<\/h3>\n

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An American classic that explores how beauty standards \u2013 Eurocentric beauty standards, specifically \u2013 have the power to shape self-worth and identity in such a heartbreaking way. This story follows a young Black girl who so badly wants her eyes to turn blue so that she can feel beautiful and loved.<\/p>\n

Growing up, I too equated whiteness with beauty. I believed that because I was not white, I was not only less beautiful, but less than entirely. This was the first time I saw these internalised thoughts reflected back at me in a book. It sheds light on how dangerous these beauty standards can be, especially when it comes to young, impressionable girls, and how vital it is to have diverse representation in the media and the world at large.<\/p>\n

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The Beauty Myth<\/em> by Naomi Wolf<\/h3>\n

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The author is controversial (and for the right reason), but I still gained so much reading this book. It\u2019s a must-read for all who have struggled with their appearance and felt less than when it comes to beauty. Written in 1991, some of this book is outdated while some of it is still so sadly relevant today. So many pages in my copy are dog eared and highlighted \u2013 it\u2019s one I expect to refer back to time and time again when I need the much-needed reminder of what\u2019s causing insecurities or self-consciousness when it comes to appearance \u2013 and who\u2019s benefiting. \u201cDoes all this mean we can\u2019t wear lipstick without feeling guilty? On the contrary\u2026 I am not attacking anything that makes women feel good; only what makes us feel bad in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n

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If I Had Your Face<\/em> by Frances Cha<\/h3>\n

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A friend gave\u202fme this book for my birthday and I couldn\u2019t put it down. I found it so fascinating to read into the lives of four modern women in Korea navigating impossible beauty standards and how it affects their lives, relationships and aspirations. Some of the characters\u2019 livelihoods are directly impacted by their appearance and it\u2019s interesting to think about how beauty can be used as social and monetary capital, especially in today\u2019s world. But prioritising beauty at any cost doesn\u2019t just come with benefits of privilege and power \u2013 it can be a trap and take a mental toll.<\/p>\n

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Beauty Sick<\/em> by Renee Engeln<\/h3>\n

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I remember being with friends and the topic of plastic surgery came up \u2013 one said since everyone is doing it, it\u2019s only a matter of time before we do it too, otherwise we\u2019ll \u201cfall behind.\u201d Another agreed. While I disagreed, I sadly understood where they came from \u2013 we live in a world where beauty is currency and is often valued above most else. This book is about society\u2019s harmful obsession with beauty and reminded me that my views on embracing ageing don\u2019t have to be archaic. It\u2019s a needed reminder that beauty standards come from those who benefit from our insecurities most.<\/p>\n

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