All the Rage

In All the Rage, the incomparable Virginia Nicholson, shaped and armed by her unconventional childhood among the Bloomsbury Set, is unafraid of skewering the social conventions that bound her generation. The tragedy of the myth of beauty, as Nicholson shows, is that it was never a myth. I love her writing * Amanda Foreman *
A scintillating survey of the changing face of beauty, examining a century of history that saw women's bodies become a battleground for emancipation. This encompassing account is bold in its scope, yet filled with intriguing details and thoughtful, original analysis of the codes, conventions and contradictions of female fashion and beauty * Justine Picardie *
Nicholson's lively, intimate history of beauty wants us to take a more sympathetic view of the women who engage in the often-condemned and sometimes dangerous quest for gorgeousness. All the Rage sits you at the dressing table of history: a place of dreams, doubts, self-harm and hopes... More interesting than a simple catalogue of beauty's ills would have been. Here, beauty is sometimes an oppressive force, and sometimes a way for women to negotiate their way around other oppressive forces -- Sarah Ditum * Sunday Times *
This is a fascinating book: funny, unexpected, forgiving, political, personal, glamorous and yes, quietly, angry. Read it for the amazing stories; stay for the self-knowledge. Or the Revolution -- Louisa Young * Prospect *
[Nicholson's] wonderfully engaging investigation has a feminist quandary at its heart * Harper's Bazaar *
Virginia Nicholson's history of modern women's dedication to their appearance is full of ironies... She is particularly good on how a body looks when styled according to the fashions and expectations of an era.. A compelling account of how... women are moulded by dominant ideals * Literary Review *
Marvellously readable... Virginia Nicholson gives us an unforgettably rich and varied tapestry of the development of female beauty anxiety -- Ysenda Maxtone Graham * Daily Mail *