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

Publisher's 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)

It was just okay

I was hoping this would have me on the edge of my seat like other books about CEOs and companies that I’ve read (one of my favorites is Bad Blood). But it just didn’t land. Additionally, I didn’t love the narration.

Expected More

Found this book to be a drawn out article with no real detail about building the empire of Glossier, insights to Emily, or fundamentals relevant to readers looking to see inside the brand. While there was a storyline at times, it felt juxtaposed in unnecessary points of view trying to grasp at tension and at other times it just felt snarky. All in all, it felt a bit…boring.

Interesting listen

A good, casual listen into the rise/cool down of ITG, Glossier, and the Glossier Girl™️. Narrator left a lot to be desired with her reading of the text. Hearing legacy brands being mispronounced and the bad, fake accents she did for international or masculine figures referenced in the text gave me the ick as I listened.

Where was the inside story?

This book turns out to be underwhelming. The reporter didn’t get to the core of the story.

Feels more like the author’s opinion piece

Feels like a cheap shot at women in leadership positions. Was a nice trip down the early 2010’s Memory lane regardless, if you can get past the bias and misogyny.

We already knew this story

I wish this had gone deeper. It didn’t really illuminate anything new. Good basic coverage of the story if you aren’t familiar with it.

Interesting, yet disappointing

The research seems patchy, especially on the early period in Emily’s life, and reads more like tidbits of gossip shoehorned into an uninspired business book. It seems like the author couldn’t decide who her subject is or what motivates her. The book is enjoyable enough, sadly the narrator doesn’t get the pronunciation of the brands or products that are aggressively sprinkled throughout the book and it is nitpicking, but sloppy.

Narrator ruins this book

Mispronounced words (brands) are annoying in a book when they’re casually mentioned. When the entire thrust of a book IS BRANDS it’s absolutely inexcusable to mispronounce the majority of name brands. It was so annoying that I couldn’t even get past chapter 5 - read the rest of the book instead. Shame on the producers for not having higher standards and shame on Ms. Medicalf for not having done her homework.

More of a Fun Walk Down Memory Lane Than an Investigatory Journalist Piece or Tell-All

Yeah this was just…fine? It seemed pretty fair and balanced but I have to say, the story of Glossier (as told here anyway) isn’t all that riveting or unique. This served more to me as a fun recollection of the early 2010’s beauty culture and reminded me of my own experiences with Into the Gloss or first discovering Glossier’s products in college.

Bias

The author seemed so disorganized and unfairly biased against Weiss that when I finished this audiobook twenty minutes ago I was immediately reassured by the fact that my package containing the cookie butter Balm Dot Com is waiting for me when I get home from work.