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How We Became so Beautiful
Nothing captivates our attention more than a face. Is it friendly, open, beautiful? Bare of makeup, airbrushed, disfigured? Does it draw us in, or repel us? And why?
The way people style themselves reveals much about their desires, but also about their society. From the Pharaosʼ large eyes to the even faces of social media beauties, Rabea Weihser guides us into the insane, multifaceted cosmos of ideals. This exciting expedition to the heart of our aesthetic preferences changes our view on beauty and the faces of our time. Smart, inspiring and insightful.
352 pages
2025
978-3-257-07336-2
»When Rabea Weihser writes about the face, she’s actually writing about everything. About the façades and the dungeons, the deco and the dramas behind it, about vibrant dreams and cold compulsions.«
»This book, it must be said, is very, very rich in content.«
»Observed with surgical precision and very entertainingly written.«
»Weihser works through all the problem areas, but not only on an aesthetic level; she also examines the ethical fashions that are always tied to concepts of beauty.«
»Magnificent! An elegant measuring of aesthetic customs, preferences, absurdities and mysteries.«
»Her observations are so clever, thought-provoking and entertaining that one could listen to her for hours.«
»This book shows that our gaze on these faces also has a story, and tells it in a captivating, enlightening, and contemporary way. «
»One instantly gets the sense: this author strikes a chord«
»A humorous analysis of the face, from the ancient world to contemporary beauty trends.«
»In an amusing and evidence-backed manner, Rabea Weihser leads us through the history of changing beauty ideals, which is a history of imitation and metamorphosis.«
»This book is an incredibly wise and elegant long essay on conceptions of beauty.«
»She looks back in history, cites philosophers, sociologists, cultural researchers, neuroscientists […] with thoroughness and analytical accuracy, humanism and laconic wit, an absolute delight to read.«