Beauty Around the World: A Cultural Encyclopedia

Kenny (anthropology), Nichols (Spanish, both Drury Univ., MO; Beauty, Virtue, Power, and Success in Venezuela 1850–2015), and ten contributors (educators, professors, and writers) bring a wealth of knowledge to the fascinating concept of beauty. Featuring further reading listings, the one- to two-page entries are well-researched, comprehensible introductions to topics such as leg-lengthening surgery, big beautiful women, grillz, labiaplasty, corsets, facial hair, and eating disorders. Articles on a specific country or tribe focus on an iconic example of that culture's beauty ideal. One can always quibble about the selection of main entries in a single-subject encyclopedia, but the authors explore a range of issues, and the detailed index provides additional entry points. The one serious failing is the lack of high-quality color photographs. The appendix is a curious addition: a brief "Opposing Viewpoints" treatment of five value-laden questions regarding beauty in sociological contexts. Surely this material could have been included in the relevant entries, allowing for greater explication and more than simply two opinions to be presented.