In this chapter, Ashley Mears explores the construction of status in VIP nightclubs, focusing on the role of wealthy men and beautiful women. The chapter discusses the author's personal experience as a fashion model and their research on the labor economics of the modeling industry. It also examines the motivation for studying fashion and beauty as marginalized topics in sociology and the increasing concentration of wealth and conspicuous consumption.
Featuring Ashley Mears on her book Very Important People: Status and Beauty in the Global Party Circuit. Mears, a sociologist and former fashion model, explores the super-elite "models and bottles" party scene where beautiful young women and conspicuous consumption heighten the status of rich men.
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