Dans le palais des miroirs

In the pages of Dans le palais des miroirs, Liv Strömquist analyzes the contemporary ideal of feminine beauty, developing her reflection in five different parts that explore this subject from a different angle. Liv Strömquist examines the reasons for the success of the influencer Kylie Jenner, evokes the biblical myth of Jacob, Rachel and Leah or the setbacks of Empress Sissi, lingers on the famous last photo shoot of Marilyn Monroe or analyzes the character of the stepmother of Snow White. All these themes are chosen to speak to us about the mimetic desire that pushes us to imitate each other, the close link between appearance and love, the way women are photographed today, the changing relationship between age and beauty and how the image of oneself can become a cumbersome burden.

True to her style, always sharp, ironic and funny, Liv Strömquist bases her remarks on the actions of a host of historical figures, actors and TV stars, as well as on the thoughts of philosophers, historians and sociologists such as Simone Weil, Zygmunt Baumann, Byung Chul Han, Eva Illouz, René Girard, Susan Sontag and Richard Seymour.