The American Beauty Industry Encyclopedia (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780313359491)

This is the first encyclopedia to focus exclusively on the many aspects of the American beauty industry, covering both its diverse origins and its global reach.

The American Beauty Industry Encyclopedia is the first compilation to focus exclusively on this pervasive business, covering both its diverse origins and global reach. More than 100 entries were chosen specifically to illuminate the most iconic aspects of the industry's past and present, exploring the meaning of beauty practices and products, often while making analytical use of categories such as gender, race, sexuality, and stages of the lifecycle.

Focusing primarily on the late-19th and 20th-century American beauty industry--an era of unprecedented expansion--the encyclopedia covers ancient practices and the latest trends and provides a historical examination of institutions, entrepreneurs, styles, and technological innovations. It covers, for example, the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, as well as how Asian women today are having muscle fiber removed from their calves to create a more "Western" look. Entries also explore how the industry reflects social movements and concerns that are inextricably bound to religion, feminism, the health and safety of consumers and workers, the treatment of animals, and environmental sustainability.

Author: Julie Willett
ISBN-10: 0313359490
ISBN-13: 9780313359491
Publisher: Greenwood
Language: English
Published: 05/11/2010
Pages: 364
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 2.05lbs
Size: 10.00h x 7.00w x 1.10d

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 09/01/2010 pg. 140
Booklist 09/15/2010 pg. 78
Choice 11/01/2010
Reference and Research Bk News 08/01/2010 pg. 281