Customer Reviews

Beauty Junkies: In search of the thinnest thighs, perkiest breasts, smoothest faces, whitest teeth, and skinniest, most perfect toes in America

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I read the paperback version of Alex Kuczynski's book, so I'll stick my review here. I don't understand why the publisher decided to muddle things up by re-launching the paperback as a new-ish piece of work with a brand new subtitle of "In Search of the Thinnest Thighs, Perkiest Breasts, Smoothest Faces, Whitest Teeth, and Skinniest, Most Perfect Toes in America." Not only is that a sales-flopping mouthful, it's also off-base. First, she hardly talks about toes. There's just a fleeting reference to them, no longer than a paragraph. Second, the book does a 360 degree look at the cosmetic surgery industry, not just the 'search' which sounds like it's purely a consumer-centric look. The subtitle of the hardcover was more spot-on: "Inside Our $15 Billion Obsession With Cosmetic Surgery." That's a better indication of what's inside.

On page 215 of the paperback, the author notes that "(t)he multiple eyes on the cover of this book are mine..." Well, not on my paperback, with its lame 'Barbie doll pieces in a surgery pan' photo that probably got scooped off of iStockPhoto. That text should have got changed for the paperback version. Plus, the cover concept of the hardcover version - 16 marked-up instances of the author's very attractive eye - is brilliant: it completely captures the spirit of the book, in which not only does Ms. Kuczynski report on the cosmetic industry, she participates in it. In fact, as her reporting unfolds, so too does her immersion as a patient...or, at least, her level of revelations. We're told of her eyelid surgery, botox treatments, regular dermabrasion sessions, liposuction and Restylane lip injections. Some of these are successful (the eyelid surgery is cast that way), others have innocuous and humorous endings (she's satisfied with the liposuction until getting busted at the pool by an eight-year-old). But the Restylane treatment goes horribly wrong, and it's that event that brings with it talk of addiction and a reconsideration of the amount of risk she's taking on.

Back to the paperback/hardcover thing: Even Amazon is confused here: none of the hardcover reviews make it here to the paperback (that alone should give any publisher pause); and Amazon's "Better Together" pairing agent gets fooled into recommending that I buy the hardcover together with the paperback.

A wonderful look at the plastic surgery industry and how it affects individuals who seek its miracles. The writer is gifted