A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice Pick “Cosmetic, tool of rebellion, status signifier: Eyeliner has been all these and more. Moving through millenniums and across civilizations, Hankir gives the makeup its eye-opening due.” — The New York Times Book Review “An impressive, rigorously researched, winding path through centuries and over continents.” —NPR.org “I loved Eyeliner . Hankir approaches her subject with dedicated curiosity, humility, and humor, blending anthropology, travel writing, memoir and history. A treat.” —Kassia St. Clair, author of The Secret Lives of Color From the acclaimed editor of Our Women on the Ground comes a dazzling exploration of the intersections of beauty and power around the globe, told through the lens of an iconic cosmetic From the distant past to the present, with fingers and felt-tipped pens, metallic powders and gel pots, humans have been drawn to lining their eyes. The aesthetic trademark of figures ranging from Nefertiti to Amy Winehouse, eyeliner is one of our most enduring cosmetic tools; ancient royals and Gen Z beauty influencers alike would attest to its uniquely transformative power. It is undeniably fun—yet it is also far from frivolous. Seen through Zahra Hankir’s (kohl-lined) eyes, this ubiquitous but seldom-examined product becomes a portal to history, proof both of the stunning variety among cultures across time and space and of our shared humanity. Through intimate reporting and conversations—with nomads in Chad, geishas in Japan, dancers in India, drag queens in New York, and more— Eyeliner embraces the rich history and significance of its namesake, especially among communities of color. What emerges is an unexpectedly moving portrait of a tool that, in various corners of the globe, can signal religious devotion, attract potential partners, ward off evil forces, shield eyes from the sun, transform faces into fantasies, and communicate volumes without saying a word. Delightful, surprising, and utterly absorbing, Eyeliner is a fascinating tour through streets, stages, and bedrooms around the world, and a thought-provoking reclamation of a key piece of our collective history. Praise for Eyeliner : “[A] perceptive cultural history . . . engrossing and appealingly monomaniacal . . . Each chapter is more interesting than the last. Hankir doesn’t take her subject too seriously; her history lessons are peppered with cultural references and good humor. The book is also a smoky-eye lover’s paradise: an orgy of makeup rituals, of tips and tricks, of brands to try.” —Cat Marnell, The New York Times Book Review “[ Eyeliner ] artfully blend[s] a history of the eye cosmetic with an emotive treatment of makeup’s relation to the self . . . a thoughtful, unlikely romp across the world, viewing a small but significant part of cultural history, through a keen (and boldly defined) eye.” — Wall Street Journal “Fascinating . . . In my line of business (being Miss Universe), eyeliner is more than an item in a makeup kit—it’s part of an artistic palette. This simple tool gives us the power to command a room, to make a personality statement, and to change our entire look on a whim. As Zahra Hankir shows, none of this is new or even modern, but has been part of a legacy of powerful women for millennia.” —Sheynnis Palacio, Miss Universe 2023, CNN's “Best Books of 2023” “ Eyeliner is admirable in the breadth and depth of its research, and edifying . . . an impressive, rigorously researched, winding path through centuries and over continents.” —NPR.org “A marvel . . . [Hankir] goes back in time, around the globe and into her own past, painting a picture that not only resituates eyeliner in the cultural imaginary but celebrates the myriad contributions of communities of color to beauty history.” —Anne Helen Peterson, “Culture Study” “Hankir does a spectacular job of raising the stakes and setting up eyeliner as this culturally powerful and iconic practice, all tied back on Nefertiti…a book that succeeds in telling, if not one story, then many stories, about a utilitarian, symbolic, and essential practice that transcends cultures around the world.” — Chicago Review of Books   “[Hankir] seamlessly takes her readers on a global investigation . . . Through intimate narratives with varied characters from different cultures and communities, we learn more about the product’s rise in prominence while having a fly-on-the-wall inside look at the ways it serves medicinal purposes, fuels spiritual practices, uplifts self-expression and how its mere existence on someone’s eyelid can be viewed as a form of defiance.” — Associated Press “A significant addition to cultural histories of self-expression. Hankir disrupts many deeply held assumptions about beauty, gender, and power . . . Hankir writes with boldness and care . . . [she] meticulously details commonalities in physical and aesthetic practices [...] without losing sight of cultural specificity or