Elise van der Laan has obtained a bachelor’s degree in hotel management and obtained her master’s degree in sociology at the University of Amsterdam in 2009. During her studies she has especially focussed on the sociology of clothing and identity, writing a thesis based on twenty wardrobe studies. Fashion and fashion magazines capture both her personal and professional interest. During and after her studies she has gained work experience in the fashion magazine business, working as an editor and traffic manager. In July 2010 she has become involved in the project ‘Towards a comparative sociology of beauty’ as a PhD candidate, aligned to the Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (University of Amsterdam).