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A review by sarahbythebook
Die Hot with a Vengeance: Essays on Vanity by Sable Yong
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
4.0
The last few essays saved this book from 3-star-dom, not because the book is not good but because I am not and have never been someone with a strong connection to Beauty (mostly due to sheer laziness than any stance against the idea of Beauty).
Part of my lack of connection to this book may come from the distance I maintain from the beauty industry, but I struggled to find a common thread or overarching sentiment to this collection of essays until about half way through. With witty, sometimes eye-roll-worthy, interjections, Sable Yong picks up and examines various facets of beauty ideals and standards without being hypercritical or trying to sell the particular idea. <i>Die Hot with a Vengeance</i> genuinely seems to come from a place of curiosity rather than criticism, and for that I am grateful. I will admit to being selfishly disappointed that a discussion of red hair didn't make it into "Even E-Girls Get the Blues" (all about hair dying and styling), but the points made still resonate.
Throughout the collection, Yong surprised me with connections to topics I've read about in what I'd call "more serious" books (something to examine later). She touches briefly on topics such as the role appearance plays in America's judicial system, the co-opting of self-care from the Blank Panther-esque act of personal recovery to aid communal activism, and the racism both disguised and flagrant in western beauty standards. While I would love to have seen more of these topics explored deeper, that wasn't the point of Yong's book; I'm grateful for the excellent citations she has left for curious readers though!
My favorite essays were "Well Enough Alone" and "Even E-Girls Get the Blues"-- the former feels like the most pressing with the way the idea of Wellness has come to dominate digital space and the latter because my hair is the one aspect of beauty culture I intentionally engage with.
Part of my lack of connection to this book may come from the distance I maintain from the beauty industry, but I struggled to find a common thread or overarching sentiment to this collection of essays until about half way through. With witty, sometimes eye-roll-worthy, interjections, Sable Yong picks up and examines various facets of beauty ideals and standards without being hypercritical or trying to sell the particular idea. <i>Die Hot with a Vengeance</i> genuinely seems to come from a place of curiosity rather than criticism, and for that I am grateful. I will admit to being selfishly disappointed that a discussion of red hair didn't make it into "Even E-Girls Get the Blues" (all about hair dying and styling), but the points made still resonate.
Throughout the collection, Yong surprised me with connections to topics I've read about in what I'd call "more serious" books (something to examine later). She touches briefly on topics such as the role appearance plays in America's judicial system, the co-opting of self-care from the Blank Panther-esque act of personal recovery to aid communal activism, and the racism both disguised and flagrant in western beauty standards. While I would love to have seen more of these topics explored deeper, that wasn't the point of Yong's book; I'm grateful for the excellent citations she has left for curious readers though!
My favorite essays were "Well Enough Alone" and "Even E-Girls Get the Blues"-- the former feels like the most pressing with the way the idea of Wellness has come to dominate digital space and the latter because my hair is the one aspect of beauty culture I intentionally engage with.