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Lipstick
Overview
Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.
From Revlon to Glossier, from Marilyn to Gaga, lipstick is as shape-shifting and unwieldy as femininity itself. Who wears lipstick today - as a matter of routine? And for those who do, is it out of obligation to a strict feminine standard, or some other reason entirely? Lipstick reconsiders the beauty world's most conspicuous - and contentious - tool of artifice. Tossing expired ideas about femininity like so many tubes of melting wax, Lipstick explores how self-adornment can be a source of play, pleasure, and transformation, as well as how lipstick can knock gender norms off balance.Customers Also Bought
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Details
- ISBN-13: 9798765135587
- ISBN-10: 9798765135587
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
- Publish Date: February 2026
- Dimensions: 6.54 x 5.37 x 0.61 inches
- Shipping Weight: 0.45 pounds
- Page Count: 200
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Lipstick is the latest edition in editor Chris Schaberg’s Object Lessons series, which explores “the hidden lives of ordinary things.” From its pop art cover image to writer Eileen G’Sell (known for her work at revered online art magazine Hyperallergic), it is evident that this diminutive volume is hyperfocused on the artfulness of its subject. “As lipstick itself has materially transformed as an object, so too has its significance,” G’Sell writes. The book is divided into chapters that roughly correspond to chronology and theme. Interspersed among the chapters are occasional handwritten notes from people identified only by first name and generation, an element that further personalizes lipstick as a portal for salient memories and formative experiences. But since this is a book about makeup, it is the visual elements that propel the story furthest. Images of advertisements do a lot of contextualization, including a 1952 ad for Revlon’s iconic Fire and Ice lipstick shot by Richard Avedon and a 1997 MAC ad with singer-songwriter k.d. lang sporting a kiss mark on her cheek. G’Sell relies on personal experience to guide her analysis, but also references sources as diverse as art historian John Berger to literary icon bell hooks. The result is a book that works as both a cultural history and a casual stroll through personal anecdotes, which makes it a dynamic and original read.
Lipstick is the latest edition in editor Chris Schaberg’s Object Lessons series, which explores “the hidden lives of ordinary things.” From its pop art cover image to writer Eileen G’Sell (known for her work at revered online art magazine Hyperallergic), it is evident that this diminutive volume is hyperfocused on the artfulness of its subject. “As lipstick itself has materially transformed as an object, so too has its significance,” G’Sell writes. The book is divided into chapters that roughly correspond to chronology and theme. Interspersed among the chapters are occasional handwritten notes from people identified only by first name and generation, an element that further personalizes lipstick as a portal for salient memories and formative experiences. But since this is a book about makeup, it is the visual elements that propel the story furthest. Images of advertisements do a lot of contextualization, including a 1952 ad for Revlon’s iconic Fire and Ice lipstick shot by Richard Avedon and a 1997 MAC ad with singer-songwriter k.d. lang sporting a kiss mark on her cheek. G’Sell relies on personal experience to guide her analysis, but also references sources as diverse as art historian John Berger to literary icon bell hooks. The result is a book that works as both a cultural history and a casual stroll through personal anecdotes, which makes it a dynamic and original read.