Flawless: Lessons in Looks and Culture from the K-Beauty Capital

By: Elise Hu
Published Year: 2023
Publisher: Dutton
Pages: 310

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion of this novel.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): An audacious journalistic exploration of the present and future of beauty through the lens of South Korea's booming "K-beauty" industry and the culture it promotes, by Elise Hu, NPR host-at-large and the host of TED Talks Daily

K-beauty has captured imaginations worldwide by promising a kind of mesmerizing perfection. Its skincare and makeup products—creams packaged to look like milkshakes or pandas, and snail mucus face masks, to name a few—work together to fascinate us, champion consumerism, and invite us to indulge. In the four years Elise Hu spent in Seoul as NPR’s bureau chief, the global K-beauty industry quadrupled. Today it's worth $10 billion and is only getting bigger as it rides the Hallyu wave around the globe.

But although self-care consumerism may be fun, darker questions lurk beneath the surface of this story. When technology makes it easy to quantify and optimize ourselves—from banishing blemishes, to whittling our waistlines, even to shaving down our jaws—where do we draw the line? What are the dangers for a society where a flawless face and body are promoted and possible? What are the real financial, physical, and emotional costs of beauty work in a culture that valorizes endless self-improvement and codes it as empowerment?

With rich historical context and deep reporting, including hours of interviews with South Korean women, Hu presents a complex, provocative look at the ways hustle culture has reached into the sinews of our bodies. She raises complicated questions about gender disparity; consumerism; the beauty imperative of an appearance obsessed society; and the undeniable political, economic, and social capital of good looks worldwide. And she points the way toward an alternative vision, one that's more affirming and inclusive than a beauty culture led by industry.

First Impressions

This isn’t the typical book that I review, but I am a skincare junky. If you’re an OG blog reader, I used to do a lot more beauty reviews, hence the blog name. When I saw this book, I was immediately intrigued and knew I wanted to read it.

What I thought

While this book wasn’t what expected, I found it to be fascinating and informative.

Elise Hu is a reporter for NPR. From 2015-2018 she lived in Seoul as a reporter with her family. While there and after moving back, she learned a lot about the beauty culture of Korea. Korea is well known for their skincare, but this book delves even deeper than that.

I will warn, I’m not the best at reviewing nonfiction stories. I will try my best, but honestly, if you think this topic is interesting, I say go for it!

When I first agreed to review this book, I thought it was going to focus on Korean skincare. I have used a lot of K-beauty products and know that they are the at the top of their game. They are made from natural products and cruelty free, both of which are appealing to me. Hu starts of explaining the history of Korean skincare and how it became so essential to the culture. I loved the first few chapters of this book and drank it up.

The majority of the book, however, is much more serious and focused on Korean culture. It delves into topics such as female beauty expectations, plastic surgery, and even women’s rights. I learned so much about how culture can impact the day to day life as well as how ingrained beauty is to the Korean culture. It was fascinating and I definitely feel way more educated on this topic than I was before.