"An extraordinary contribution to research on African American beauty culture... one of the best historical accounts of African American beauty culture to date."
~Ingrid Banks, author of Hair Matters: Beauty, Power, and Black Women's Consciou
"Style & Status is an interesting, and in many respects, engaging study of the 'commodification of black beauty culture' in twentieth-century America. Susannah Walker reminds us that style matters, and standards of beauty and taste have a significance that transcends the superficiality of the cultural moment."
~Dennis B. Downey, Journal of Illinois History
"Walker has provided an engaging history of 'style and status' that will influence many fields of study."
~Julie Willet, American Historical Review
"A pioneering achievement in chronicling the history of African American beauty culture.... Walker... explores the shifting and contested notions of what beauty meant for black women in the context of African American social, political, and economical history."
~Business History Review
"Well researched and thoughtfully executed.... Walker's new book... offers an excellent history of black beauty culture in the United States."
~Journal of Southern History
"Walker presents an intriguing look at how even the most seemingly inconsequential aspects of black life had social and political meaning."
~Southern Historian
"Walker adds nuance to a growing body of literature that combines histories of labor, business, and political economy with the intricacy of beauty and subjectivity.""Walker has provided an engaging history of 'style and status' that will influence many fields of study."
~Julie Willett, American Historical Review
"Besides providing important insights about the socio-psychological dynamics of the black beauty industry, Style and Status makes an important contribution to business history through its detailed discussion of the competitive challenges faced by black entrepreneurs in the marketplace."
~Enterprise & Society
"Susannah Walker's book is a solid social history that explores the trajectories, themes, and tensions of twentieth-century African American women's beauty culture."
~Jill Fields, Journal of Social History
"Walker brings fresh insight to the topic through her ability to place earlier scholarly works in productive dialogue with each other."
~Journal of African American History
"In tracing the glory and decline of black-owned beauty businesses, Walker incisively analyses the paradoxical consequences of white corporate efforts to lure the "New Negro Market."
~Indiana Magazine of History
Examines advertisements for beauty products aimed at African Americans and attempts to contextualize the marketing and purchasing of such products within the larger picture of African American consumption.
~Gender & Society