{"product_id":"very-important-people-status-and-beauty-in-the-global-party-circuit-paperback","title":"Very Important People: Status and Beauty in the Global Party Circuit - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eAshley Mears\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA sociologist and former fashion model takes readers inside the elite global party circuit of \"models and bottles\" to reveal how beautiful young women are used to boost the status of men\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMillion-dollar birthday parties, megayachts on the French Riviera, and $40,000 bottles of champagne. In today's New Gilded Age, the world's moneyed classes have taken conspicuous consumption to new extremes. In \u003ci\u003eVery Important People\u003c\/i\u003e, sociologist, author, and former fashion model Ashley Mears takes readers inside the exclusive global nightclub and party circuit--from New York City and the Hamptons to Miami and Saint-Tropez--to reveal the intricate economy of beauty, status, and money that lies behind these spectacular displays of wealth and leisure. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMears spent eighteen months in this world of \"models and bottles\" to write this captivating, sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking narrative. She describes how clubs and restaurants pay promoters to recruit beautiful young women to their venues in order to attract men and get them to spend huge sums in the ritual of bottle service. These \"girls\" enhance the status of the men and enrich club owners, exchanging their bodily capital for as little as free drinks and a chance to party with men who are rich or aspire to be. Though they are priceless assets in the party circuit, these women are regarded as worthless as long-term relationship prospects, and their bodies are constantly assessed against men's money. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA story of extreme gender inequality in a seductive world, \u003ci\u003eVery Important People\u003c\/i\u003e unveils troubling realities behind moneyed leisure in an age of record economic disparity.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAshley Mears\u003c\/b\u003e is associate professor in the Department of Sociology and in the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program at Boston University. She is the author of \u003ci\u003ePricing Beauty: The Making of a Fashion Model\u003c\/i\u003e. Her writings have appeared in the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eElle\u003c\/i\u003e, and other publications. She lives in Boston.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 328\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.02 x 7.95 x 5.35 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e August 31, 2021\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42124700123271,"sku":"9780691227054","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2623\/2711\/files\/7235535cfb743e6aed329ef9b47a013a.webp?v=1732572141","url":"https:\/\/booksby.splitshops.com\/products\/very-important-people-status-and-beauty-in-the-global-party-circuit-paperback","provider":"Books by splitShops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}