Need a new skin-care routine or want to try a new hair trend? Look no further!! This inclusive & illustrated guide highlights the diverse & surprising legacy of beauty ICONS who have redefined what masculinity & gender expression have looked like throughout history!

I’ve loved learning allll the tips, tricks & tutorials from the biggest names in the beauty industry, Hollywood & social media!

Thank you @marinerbooks for the #gifted copy of Pretty Boys…y’all have inspired me to up my #selfcare game & reminded me that Pretty Boys can truly change the world 😉

I'm not one who reads books on skincare and beauty but the BTS Book Club (on Twitter) had a discussion on this and I thought, why not? I'm glad I gave it a chance cause this is definitely an interesting introduction to skincare and beauty, the gender roles and societal expectations associated with them! The book is vibrant with the author's tone and personality. I also enjoyed reading the tutorials, though some were a miss for me.

I'm not the target audience for this book, but I definitely feel like I learned not only some great beauty tips but some very well-defined information on how beauty and the masculine have intertwined in history. This is the kind of book that hits you with both book and useful knowledge.
The part I liked the most is definitely how uplifting and positive the tone of the book is. It's one great detail in history after another coming together to show that beauty has always been universal and that the modern obsession with making it only feminine is as contrary to reality as can be. Everything from wigs being made for me and the fiercest warriors wore makeup to the modern interpretation of male beauty and the people who, little by little, are doing amazing work in opening people's eyes to the truth that any gender can take pride and care in how they look.

Many very happy thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the great read!

"Beauty" is a word a lot of people typically associate with femininity, and traditionally femininity is only acceptable when it applies to women. More and more we can see this hard line between men and beauty being blurred. Enter: "Pretty Boys." This is a book about self-care and how things like makeup, skincare, nail polish, perfume, etc, have a history of being gender-neutral. David Yi talks about why and when a binary was created and how it's only been in recent years that strict gender roles have been seriously questioned, allowing self-expression and men, queer or not, to embrace beauty.

The tone of the writing in this book is casual and colored by David Yi's vibrant personality. It was a light and enjoyable read. The tutorials were hit or miss for me, though, so I could've done without them. Also a little surprised Yi didn't mention that some baseball players (the catchers) paint their nails with bright colors. Even though it's a little thing, a bit of nail polish has become a normal thing in a very straight, male-dominated space, so I was kind of expecting a mention.

I've always been interested in anthropology and sociology, and this book reads like a great study of male beautification through the ages. It's well researched and offers a wide view of beauty regimes and standards throughout recorded human history. It also offers expert advise on how to replicate some of the beautification treatments it mentions. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who's interested in how beauty standards and regimes have changed vis a vis stayed the same flowing through time, culture and geography.