Sable Yong's charmingly subversive and often hilarious debut, Die Hot with a Vengeance: Essays on Vanity, demystifies the glamorous allure of the beauty industry and invites readers to engage with beauty culture in a manner that stays true to how they view and value themselves. Her provocative essays delve right into the heart of the question, "What is beauty for?"
A former digital beauty editor for Allure magazine, the author has had pieces in Vogue, the New York Times, and Harper's Bazaar. From her perch as a beauty insider, Yong recalls her days as a child model, her severe allergy to deodorant as a teenager, and the winding path that led to "The Job a Million Girls Would Dye For." With her platinum-blonde locks, Yong was for a time the top Google search result for "blond Asian woman," leading to glamorous photo shoots for a Dove commercial. She enjoys upending expectations of what an Asian woman looks like, determined to free herself from "the tyranny of shoulds."
In the pivotal essay "No Fun in the Fun House," Yong reflects on how social media has transformed vanity from an undesirable character trait into a popular lifestyle choice, fueled by YouTube and Instagram. The ubiquitous use of filters in photographs encourages impossible beauty standards, she notes, calling out the industry's manipulative harnessing of "every perceived flaw" as a platform for marketing more products.
Yong admits she isn't immune to the powerful pull of the beauty industry; she recalls job perks such as a constant supply of new products, free injectable treatments, and jetting off to Costa Rica for the launch of a new foundation. Gradually, she learned to engage consciously with beauty, deploying it as a means of self-expression and a path to self-discovery instead of as a response to her insecurities. After surviving puberty sans deodorant, perfume is now her "favorite way to connect with people."
Chucklesome pieces on hair removal in "Smoother Operations" will delight readers, as will Yong's philosophical musings in "Age Against the Machine." In this final essay, the author celebrates the confidence that comes with life experience. Not only are beauty standards "made up," she tells us with characteristic candor, anti-aging products promoted by "Big Skincare" simply do not work.
Yong's essays are a compassionate reminder that there are no absolute rules when it comes to beauty, and at the end of the day it truly is an inside job. --Shahina Piyarali
Shelf Talker: A former digital beauty editor for Allure magazine shares her experiences as an industry insider and encourages readers to engage with beauty culture on their own terms.