Higher Class Beauty, Lower Class Beauty

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i think that upper class beauty, upper class bodies are pretty uniformly thin. Having a kind of plump, you know, arotund belley, would be a sign having extra moneyor of wealth. Straight teeth, clear skin, blond high lights, or just kind of shiny hair, kept up, nails, clothing signifies a lot. These are all things that can be people with money can work on themselves to achieve....

Ashley Mears is a former fashion model turned academic sociologist, and her book Very Important People: Status and Beauty in the Global Party Circuit is one of Tyler’s favorites of the year. The book, the result of eighteen months of field research, describes how young women exchange “bodily capital” for free drinks and access to glamorous events, boosting the status of the big-spending men they accompany.

Ashley joined Tyler to discuss her book and experience as a model, including the economics of bottle service, which kinds of men seek the club experience (and which can’t get in), why Tyler is right to be suspicious of restaurants filled with beautiful women, why club music is so loud, the surprising reason party girls don’t want to be paid, what it’s like to be scouted, why fashion models don’t smile, the truths contained in Zoolander, how her own beauty and glamour have influenced her academic career, how Barbara Ehrenreich inspired her work, her unique tip for staying focused while writing, and more.

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Recorded May 8th, 2020 Other ways to connect

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