Read My Lips: A Cultural History of Lipstick
By Meg Cohen, Karen Kozlowski
Freud dug it; Marilyn wouldn't leave home without it. Lipstick: It's an icon, a turn-on, an international symbol of the feminine mystique. Today it finds its place in history.
Review
The authors trace the popular cosmetic from B.T. (Before Tube), when cavewomen stained their lips with berries, to RuPaul 'lamming it up for M.A.C. Two snaps for the photos: a red-lipstick sandwich on white bread, black-and-white shots of Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor lining their lips...Anyone who was ever fascinated by the tiny tube in their mother's purse will want to take a long look. -- Out
About the Author
Meg Cohen Ragas is a senior editor at San Francisco magazine. Her first lipstick was a bubble-gum flavored Bonne Bell Lip Smacker.
Karen Kozlowski is a stylist and writer in San Francisco. She shoplifted her first lipstick a pink gloss by Maybelline. Today she gladly pays full retail.
Veronique Vienne is the author of French Style , and also a freelance writer in Brooklyn. She wears Yves Saint Laurent #19.
Like some women- very pretty to look at but short on brains
I was attracted to the cover of the book, which is its strong point. Once inside, there are more colorful pictures to look at, and I think the publisher would have been more wise to call it READ MY LIPS: A PICTORIAL HISTORY OF LIPSTICK rather than a CULTURAL HISTORY OF LIPSTICK. The style of writing is really more in line with magazine fashion writing, which I understand is the profession of the two authors of the book. I disagree with a previous review that this is a "must have for the serious fashion minded" customer. This is far too "Cutesy" and written with too much of an attempt to be hip. For the truly serious fashion minded person, there are a few semi academic yet also highly accessible books on makeup, including FASHIONS IN MAKEUP by Richard Corson, which the truly serious fashion minded have always known to be an excellent source of cultural/historical information... and it is not written with the "cuteness" that is present here. The total text, when the pictures are deleted, must be only about 15 pages. That, I believe, is an article, not a book.
Vapid, stupid and tiresomely "hip".
Chronicle Books titles tend to be pretty to look at but short on content, but this one has to be the ultimate. You'd have to be an idiot to spend money on what is one long Vogue article.
Not just a pretty face!
When I saw that this had not gotten very good ratings from other reviewers, I had to speak out (or, um, write)! I bought this book for myself at a sale several years ago, and have nearly worn it out looking at it and reading it over and over again! I also later bought a copy for a friend who saw mine and loved it as much as I do. Read My Lips is full of luscious photos that make me feel happy to look at, and are also good for inspiring makeup looks for yourself or your friends. Plus, I love the historical info about what my grandma's (and women from even farther back) lipstick may have been made out of, and what people thought about it. The authors give you all this material without making you feel like you're reading a textbook. This is a fun and fascinating book, and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in makeup!
