What’s The History Of Eyeliner? with Zahra Hankir

Kohl. Mebari. Kajal. Eyeliner. It may go by many names, but most people know exactly what this iconic makeup tool is, and how to use it to enhance their eyes. On this week’s Getting Curious, journalist Zahra Hankir takes us on a journey through thousands of years of history to learn all about eyeliner. From Queen Nerfertiti in ancient Egypt to the Wodaabe community in Chad to the drag queens on Fire Island, we’ll learn all about how people have used this amazing tool in the past, and how they just might use it in the future.

Zahra Hankir is a Lebanese-British journalist who writes about the intersection of politics, culture and society. Her work has appeared in publications including Condé Nast Traveller, the Observer, Times Literary Supplement, BBC News, the Los Angeles Times, and The Rumpus. She was awarded a Jack R. Howard Fellowship in International Journalism to attend the Columbia Journalism School and holds degrees in politics and Middle Eastern studies.

You can follow Zahra on Instagram @zahrahankir. Her book Eyeliner: A Cultural History is available now.

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Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.

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Our senior producer is Chris McClure. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall.

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