"In toe shoes, ballerinas’ feet look gorgeous and otherwordly. With those shoes off, though, they’re often a big mess of blisters and bunions. In that way, they have much in common with the brilliant chef whose white sleeves hide arms covered in burns earned during thousands of hours spent behind the stove, honing his craft. Or the interior designer whose perfect palace is the result of months – or years – of fine-tuning a design (often while dealing with a difficult, demanding, possibly tasteless client). What’s most glamorous on the surface is often the result of the hardest work underneath. All of this made me wonder, then, is there anything glamorous that doesn’t require hours of preparation?"

Spending half an hour reading Deep Glamour, which “explores the magic of glamour in its many manifestations, from movies, fashion, and advertising to real estate, politics, and sports.”