A hilarious and eye-opening read full of home truths delivered with a side of much-needed puppy pictures.
Feature image credit: Samantha Pease
As a bestselling author, journalist, TV presenter and producer, Samantha Pease has a lot to juggle. But she’s somehow found the time to bless us with this delightful guide to the beauty, fashion, and lifestyle space, where all is not as it seems. In F**k Fashion and Diamonds Are Dumb, Pease takes us through the various facets of the beauty and cosmetics industry (plus plenty of other industries), highlighting how the hype around products and movements often comes down to marketing (or as Pease calls it, farketing) rather than the product actually being worth the attention — or your hard-earned dollars.
The concept of dissecting various products, looking at the history of the companies that sell them, and analysing the related marketing and advertising might sound a little dry, but this book is as entertaining as it is informative. The conversational style of the text, infused with Pease’s authentic personality, made it feel as if I were listening to a friend spill the tea over cocktails rather than reading a non-fiction book. The humorous tone is an unlikely pairing for a book that has quite heavy subject matter in places — some of the companies we delve into have reportedly committed some awful atrocities, from being involved in the Holocaust to knowingly producing carcinogenic products and weaselling out of paying compensation to those who got sick. But the light-hearted voice made this content so much more digestible, as did the frequent animal-picture “breathers” to help offset the sobering revelations.
The other factor that makes this guide so easy to read is the format of short chapters; their being filled with history, facts, and statistics doesn’t bog them down because we have frequent chapter breaks and aforementioned animal graphics to help us keep going. Despite the thought-provoking subject matter that had me warning my friends against certain businesses and products, I finished this in two days. Though at times you’ll be left feeling like your entire life is a lie and there’s no hope for humanity, reading this book never truly feels overwhelming thanks to Pease’s wonderful approach. After presenting the often disappointing reality of each product or industry, Pease offers a “f**k fashion fix” where she makes a recommendation regarding how best to proceed. Sometimes, she advises continuing to buy a product if it’s doing no harm or if it actually lives up to the hype, while in the cases where that thing is really harmful, she suggests better alternatives.
While beauty, makeup, and fashion fans would clearly get a lot out of this tome, F**k Fashion and Diamonds Are Dumb also explores other industries that have taken us all for a ride. These include movies and TV, news reporting, and groceries and fast food (spoiler alert: Apparently farmed salmon isn’t actually pink and I feel betrayed). It’s a good resource to have for life in general, as Pease clearly separates facts from farketing and provides a solid guide for avoiding being sucked in, whether you’re in the market for diamonds, Chanel sunglasses, or healing crystals. The in-text swearing means it’s probably not the right read for my ultra-conservative grandma, but we knew that from a glance at the title.
After taking in the cold hard truths about some of my previously adored purchases, I felt disappointed with the state of the world as I finished the final chapter of F**k Fashion and Diamonds Are Dumb. But the even stronger feeling was one of gratitude for the author, for dropping those truth bombs as gently and comically as possible.
Reviewed by Vanessa Elle
Instagram: @vanessaellewrites
The views expressed in this review belong to the author and not Glam Adelaide, its affiliates, or employees.
Distributed by: Samantha Pease
Released: April 2024
RRP: $34.99
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