4.5 stars

The House of Beauty is a brilliant and blistering debut that demands we rethink everything we’ve been sold about beauty— who sets the standards, who reaps the benefits, and who bears the cost. Arabelle Sicardi brings a rare blend of lyricism and clarity to this cultural reckoning, drawing on feminist theory, personal narrative, and deep industry insight. From the exploitation baked into our daily rituals to the way beauty regimes uphold systems of power, Sicardi names what so often goes unspoken. Yet, amid the critique, there is care—a radical reimagining of beauty as something communal, political, and tender. This is not a book of easy answers, but one of necessary questions.

Many thanks to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for providing an eARC of The House of Beauty prior to its publication.