Zahra Hankir opens 鈥淓yeliner: A Cultural History鈥� by marveling over her mother鈥檚 elegant beauty process as she delicately sweeps black kohl on her waterline, dreaming of displaying that same confidence one day.
For Hankir, eyeliner is more than just a cosmetic product. It provides protection and empowerment. It provides cultural connection. It exists beyond borders, gender roles and Western beauty standards. Lining one鈥檚 waterline or drawing a delicate black line across an eyelid is more than aesthetics. For many of the underrepresented groups and communities of color highlighted in Hankir鈥檚 book, applying the product is a ritual deeply rooted in spirituality, culture, identity and more. To loosely quote Audre Lorde, if self-care is an act of resistance, then an eyeliner is a tool in the rebellion throughout Hankir鈥檚 novel.
The Lebanese-British journalist seamlessly takes her readers on a global investigation of how the cosmetic product is used worldwide. Through intimate narratives with varied characters from different cultures and communities, we learn more about the product鈥檚 rise in prominence while having a fly-on-the-wall inside look at the ways it serves medicinal purposes, fuels spiritual practices, uplifts self-expression and how its mere existence on someone鈥檚 eyelid can be viewed as a form of defiance.
Hankir begins this thoroughly researched journey by educating her readers on Egypt鈥檚 Queen Nefertiti and her rise as a symbol of 鈥渋deal feminine beauty.鈥� The Egyptian queen posthumously influenced mainstream culture, leading eventually to the beauty item's spot in shopping mall stores and in makeup ads across Western society. But while detailing Nefertiti鈥檚 legacy, Hankir does not shy away from reflecting on how the queen鈥檚 thick-lined trademark became twisted and co-opted by white Western culture. She addresses it head-on and shares the complete history of its popularity. All of the good and the bad that follows popularity.
The book is a little over 300 pages long and packs enough information for readers to walk away with more in-depth knowledge of the staple product sitting idly inside their makeup bag. As readers twist open their liner applicator, they鈥檒l be reminded of the Wodaabe men who wear kohl to enhance their appearance and attract a partner in a ritual ceremony. They鈥檒l think of artists like Shirin Neshat, who wear the item as a form of solidarity for the women back home who cannot publicly line their eyes. They鈥檒l remember the drag queens who drew on their bold, exaggerated liner as they prepared to perform and the stories of the Cholas in Mexican-American culture who wore the product, expressing their dual femininity and strength.
鈥淓yeliner鈥� comes full circle, highlighting today鈥檚 beauty influencers and allowing viewers to see the ripple effects of popularity and cultural exchange as this one beauty product carries the constant line of simultaneously emphasizing the beauty and power each person possesses as they line their eyes and prepare to embark on their personal journeys.
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AP book reviews:
Leslie Ambriz, The Associated Press
