Die Hot with a Vengeance

“Yong’s debut collection of essays, Die Hot with a Vengeance, is such a treat because Yong—both in conversation and as a writer—is always down to get deep. Tough topics become tender and human in her hands.”   — W Magazine“Beauty culture is toxic. Beauty culture is fun. With her new essay collection, Sable Yong asks, Why can’t it be both? … Die Hot might not answer every reader’s questions about how best to engage with beauty, but it offers a position from which to study those questions with humor and compassion—and a sharply critical eye” — ELLE“With humor and candor, Die Hot With a Vengeance shows why beauty should be a tool of self-expression, not self-hate.” — TIME“Yong’s many years as a beauty editor have afforded her unparalleled access to coveted products and treatments. In her memoir, she asks: to what end? Expect a mix of personal history and cultural criticism, as she wrestles with what beauty and wellness hath wrought.” — Bustle“What is beauty? As Yong, a former fashion magazine editor, argues in this wickedly smart essay collection, the very idea is a moving target. Humor, well-deployed here, may well be the best way to counter the oppressive beauty standards we all face.” — Boston Globe“Throughout Die Hot With A Vengeance, Yong emphasizes the practicalities of beauty, because in the end beauty is not a moral imperative, not a rulebook, not a winner-takes-all competition. It should be whimsical, personal, and never anchored to just one ideal, much like this book itself.” — The Brooklyn Rail“Sable Yong’s charmingly subversive and often hilarious debut, Die Hot with a Vengeance: Essays on Vanity, demystifies the glamorous allure of the beauty industry and invites readers to engage with beauty culture in a manner that stays true to how they view and value themselves. Her provocative essays delve right into the heart of the question, “What is beauty for?”” — Shelf Awareness“A vibrant essay collection about beauty, identity, and cultural acceptance…Yong’s take on beauty and fashion is revealing, playful, and heartfelt.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)“A must-read for anyone who has felt the tension between the beauty industry’s ability to simultaneously exploit and empower, Die Hot With a Vengeance eviscerates the manipulative aspects of Big Beauty without shaming those who love what beauty practices can offer. With this comprehensive collection of essays, Yong demystifies the beauty industry while illuminating a path toward self-liberation in which we can enjoy beauty while extricating ourselves from ideals that don’t serve us.” — Ling Ling Huang, author of Natural Beauty

Sable Yong is a freelance writer and editor. Formerly a beauty editor at Allure, she got her start in beauty as a writer and editor at xoVain, championing the personal, individual, and truly weird nature of beauty. She co-hosts a podcast about all things scent-related, called Smell Ya Later. Sable’s extensive work and talent has appeared in Vogue, Elle, The New York Times, Manrepeller, GQ, New York Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, Nylon, Teen Vogue, and others. Die Hot with a Vengeance is her first book.