Why Embracing Frivolity Might Be the Most Serious Act of All: A Provocative Take by Jehanne Dubrow
Reviewed by Renee K. Nicholson
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Jehanne Dubrow finds herself on a quest. While some of us traded sourdough starters, she dedicated herself to the art of frivolous observation. Hence, Frivolity: A Defense (Columbia University Press; August 2026).
She begins with “The Year of Perfect Skin,” where Dubrow writes, “In the time of our global pandemic, I began to watch myself.” After seeing her face reflected back to her on countless zoom calls, Dubrow began purchasing the delicate vials and elegant glass jars that would bring her that promise of a skin-perfect visage. And while I could laugh or even scoff at such superficiality, my own lockdown obsession became champagne tasting, after watching a BBC interview with Judi Dench in which she attributed her well-being to daily walks in the woods followed by a glass of the bubbly. So, to say I recognized a bit of myself in Dubrow’s eccentricity, may not be the epitome of elegant thinking, but makes up for it in honesty.
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