A01=Arabelle Sicardi
aesthetics
Author_Arabelle Sicardi
beauty industry
beauty norms
bodies
body modifications
Category=DNC
Category=JBSF11
Category=KNSX
Category=WJH
clean beauty
coco chanel
community organizing
eq_bestseller
eq_biography-true-stories
eq_business-finance-law
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_society-politics
exploitation
expose
gender
greenwashing
hair
labor
manicure
nail salons
race
self-image
Product details
- ISBN 9780393531626
- Weight: 398g
- Dimensions: 147 x 218mm
- Publication Date: 14 Oct 2025
- Publisher: WW Norton & Co
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Hardback
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Arabelle Sicardi brings a singular voice—poetic, candid, incisive—to the complexities of the beauty industry. Weaving sharp analysis and vivid storytelling, Sicardi explores how beauty myths are crafted, sold and weaponised, from corporate boardrooms to local salons. Delving into such issues as the exploitation of refugee labour in nail salons, the use of fragrance in fascist propaganda and the hidden connections between power and profit, Sicardi challenges readers to confront the industry’s costs—both personal and societal—and reconsider beauty as more than a product of consumption. Instead, they invite a vision of beauty rooted in connection and self-care, one that transcends industry-driven ideals. The House of Beauty is both an exposé and a cultural reckoning, offering insight into beauty’s true impact and the untold stories behind its illusions.
Arabelle Sicardi is a Taiwanese American writer exploring beauty, care, and crisis. They’ve written for Allure, Teen Vogue, and the Cut; run the scent collective Perfumed Pages; and founded the Museum of Nails Foundation. They split their time between Los Angeles, California, and New York City.
