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  • Glossy

  • Ambition, Beauty, and the Inside Story of Emily Weiss's Glossier
  • By: Marisa Meltzer
  • Narrated by: Cassandra Medcalf
  • Length: 7 hrs and 9 mins
  • 2.8 out of 5 stars (9 ratings)

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Glossy cover art

Glossy

By: Marisa Meltzer
Narrated by: Cassandra Medcalf
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Summary

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

“A compulsively readable narrative of beauty, business, privilege, and mogul-dom.” —The New York Times Book Review

The bombshell exposé that reveals—for the first time—exactly what happened at Glossier, one of America’s hottest and most consequential startups, and dives deep into the enigmatic, visionary woman responsible for it all.

Called “one of the most disruptive brands in beauty” by Forbes, Glossier revolutionized the beauty industry with its sophisticated branding and unique approach to influencer marketing, almost-instantly making the company a juggernaut with rabid fans lining up for a chance to buy its coveted products. It also taught a generation of business leaders how to talk to Millennial and Gen Z customers and build a cult following online.

At the center of the story lies Emily Weiss, the elusive former Teen Vogue “superintern” on the reality show The Hills turned Into the Gloss beauty blogger who had the vision, guts, and searing ambition needed to launch Glossier. She cannily turned every experience, every meeting into an opportunity to fuel her own personal success. Together with her expensive, signature style and singular vision for the future of consumerism, she could not be stopped. Just how did a girl from suburban Connecticut with no real job experience work her way into the bathrooms and boudoirs of the most influential names in the world and build that access into a 1.9-billion-dollar business? Is she solely responsible for its success? And why, eight years later, at the height of Glossier mania, did she step down?

In Glossy, journalist and author Marisa Meltzer combines in-depth interviews with former Glossier employees, investors, and Weiss herself to bring you inside the walls of this fascinating and secretive company. From fundraising to product launches and unconventional hiring practices, Meltzer exposes the inner workings of Glossier’s culture, culminating in the story of Weiss herself. The Devil Wears Prada for the Bad Blood generation, Glossy is a gripping portrait of not just one of the most important business leaders of her generation, but also a chronicle of an era.

©2023 Marisa Meltzer (P)2023 Simon & Schuster Audio

Critic reviews

"Multi-tasks as highly readable brand memoir, founder manual and 21st century history of the business of beauty." (Navaz Batliwalla, Disneyrollergirl)

"Marisa Meltzer knows the Glossier story better than any other journalist. This lively corporate tale illuminates the rise of a beauty business juggernaut and helps us understand an entire era—when a bit of hype and chutzpah could turn a simple idea into a billion-dollar business." (Reeves Wiedeman, author of Billion Dollar Loser)

"A triumphant chronicle... Meltzer has created singular companionate text for those who know the agony of frustration surrounding weight as an issue, both personal and political. Acerbic, culturally astute and genuine, [Meltzer] makes exquisite company in the struggle." (New York Times)

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A Gossip Column Masquerading as a Business Book

I read this book because I was genuinely interested in how Glossier’s business was built, but it turned out to be the author’s opinions about the “cool girl” CEO. I applaud Weiss for keeping her private life private, and the author shouldn’t be deeply analysing Weiss in an inappropriate way. Very disappointed and wouldn’t recommend.

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Should have been an article

Very repetitive, lacking substance, no one checked that the narrator knew how to prononce names

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Pathetic

One of the worst written books I have ever read. I honestly felt sorry for Emily Weiss (not that I’ve felt any specific way towards her before) for just how outrageous the conclusions drawn about her are. I think it’s a real shame as this could have been such an interesting story and gone into so much more detail about how the created this cult brand but this writer was very distracted by a take down story of the founder.

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