Spanning 100 years of history, from 1860 to 1960, All The Rage is a fascinating insight into how fashion and beauty has shaped the lives of women: from the Victorian period, where women were expected to wear clothes that restricted movement, to a modern age where women had freedom to wear pretty much what they wanted.

As the age of film dawned, it captured the ‘ideal’ beauty on screen which led to a massive growth in lotions and potions to holt the inevitable ageing process. The lengths and breadths women would go to in pursuit of retained youth are explored in fascinating detail. 

With independence, though, came fear and insecurity. As Virginia Nicholson aptly puts it: “As the doors of opportunity swung open, a cage descended.” Balancing the ideals of feminist freedom with the desire to be attractive has been a challenge over the decades for women; this book is a revealing insight into that century-long quest to show that women are more than just skin deep, and capable of so much more than they were originally given credit for.

From those who stood on the frontlines for women’s rights, to objectified beauty ‘ideals’, All The Rage provides thoughtful reflection on the history of the female body.