From the Publisher
“With sharp analytical insight and riveting evidence, Ashley Mears takes us backstage into the glamorous global world of parties and nightclubs. Behind the flowing bottles of Dom Pérignon and other displays of extreme wealth, Mears reveals an intricate social web connecting enterprising party promoters, rich clients, and beautiful women. Updating Veblen for the twenty-first century, Very Important People makes crucial contributions to our understanding of consumption and more broadly to economic sociology.”—Viviana A. Zelizer, author of Economic Lives: How Culture Shapes the Economy“This fascinating book provides an eye-opening account of how beautiful ‘girls’—unpaid models—are shuttled by promoters around the globe to provide atmosphere in elite clubs for rich men. In a gripping narrative, Mears vividly describes the lavish consumption of elites to illuminate, in a fresh way, how gender works in daily life. Highly recommended.”—Annette Lareau, author of Unequal Childhoods"Ashley Mears's page-turning account of the VIP global party circuit is simply terrific. In a snappy narrative, Mears takes readers into a world that is equal parts thrilling and heartbreaking, doused with moments that are by turn laugh-out-loud funny and tragically sad. No one but Mears could have written this book. The research is heroic and fearless, and the access it required was nearly impossible."—David Grazian, author of On the Make: The Hustle of Urban Nightlife"A rich exposé of the elite party circuit written in a lively style, Very Important People is like a night out on the town with a glamorous, insightful guide."—James Farrer, coauthor of Shanghai Nightscapes: A Nocturnal Biography of a Global City