The Setup Dan Bilzerian

The Setup

Very Important People

A 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 Million-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 Very Important People, 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. Mears 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. A story of extreme gender inequality in a seductive world, Very Important People unveils troubling realities behind moneyed leisure in an age of record economic disparity.

Summary of Dan Bilzerian's The Setup

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 The day my father went to prison, I was made fun of relentlessly. People treated my family differently after my father went to prison. Some of the kids I used to hang out with at the neighborhood weren’t allowed to come over anymore because their parents didn’t want them associating with criminals. #2 The story of Dad’s sentencing demonstrates the importance of never gambling when the game is rigged. When the government comes for their pound of flesh, they get it. #3 My father, who was a rancher, took pride in doing hard work every day. He didn’t care about money or impressing people, and he got that from his father. #4 The multimillionaire corporate raider and convicted felon, Paul A. Bilzerian, sued a St. Petersburg Little League official after the official told the St. Petersburg Times that Bilzerian reneged on a pledge to give the league $5,000 if the 5-, 6-, and 7-year-old players raised an equal amount in a fund-raising drive. The court sided with the league.