Q&a / Why eyeliner is about more than just aesthetics: Lebanese-British author Zahra Hankir reveals the make-up’s history, and cultural and spiritual significance, in her new book
- Lebanese-British journalist Zahra Hankir recently published Eyeliner: A Cultural History, a book about the age-old cosmetic and its significance in various communities, from geishas to Bedouins
- The author wants to ‘deflect from the Western gaze and Eurocentric beauty norms’ and applies an anthropological approach in understanding how wearing eyeliner empowers people from the Global South
Journalist Zahra Hankir never leaves the house without her eyeliner.
She picked up the habit from her mother, a Lebanese immigrant who, while raising six children in the United Kingdom, always found time to line her eyes with kohl from the Middle East.
Hankir delves into the story of this age-old cosmetic in her new book Eyeliner: A Cultural History. It turns out, she says, that “there’s much more to eyeliner than meets the eye”.
“Eyeliner carries a lot of weight and a lot of history,” Hankir said. “It’s about power. It’s about race. It’s about religion. It’s about community. I want people to kind of think differently when they see eyeliner.”
We sat down with Hankir for a deep dive into her new book.
You’ve previously covered politics and economics in the Middle East. What made you want to tackle eyeliner?
I was having dinner with an Iranian friend when I pulled out my eyeliner. For Iranians, sormeh, which is like a form of eyeliner or kohl, is also very central to their culture. And we started discussing how important it was to us. I thought, “Oh my gosh, I don’t think this has been done before.”