{"id":32466,"date":"2026-04-29T08:47:50","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T06:47:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/?p=32466"},"modified":"2026-04-29T08:47:50","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T06:47:50","slug":"surprising-things-about-partying-with-rich-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/2026\/04\/surprising-things-about-partying-with-rich-people\/","title":{"rendered":"Surprising Things about Partying with Rich People"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong><em>B2 &#8211; Upper Intermediate<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sociologist Ashley Mears attended VIP parties to understand how wealthy people view extravagant spending that can seem excessive to others. She discovered a strange mix of money and beauty, shaped by traditional gender roles and a blend of enjoyment and exploitation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read the article about some surprising things Ashley Mears discovered as she joined the world\u2019s\u00a0<em>Very Important People <\/em>at their parties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-literary-hub wp-block-embed-literary-hub\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"tN4HIIuzFu\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lithub.com\/five-surprising-things-i-learned-from-partying-with-rich-people\/\">Five Surprising Things I Learned from Partying with Rich People<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Five Surprising Things I Learned from Partying with Rich People&#8221; &#8212; Literary  Hub\" src=\"https:\/\/lithub.com\/five-surprising-things-i-learned-from-partying-with-rich-people\/embed\/#?secret=mle3gXtCU2#?secret=tN4HIIuzFu\" data-secret=\"tN4HIIuzFu\" width=\"580\" height=\"327\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Vocabulary Questions:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What does \u201c<strong>hand-me-down<\/strong>\u201d mean? \u201c<em>Over the next few years, I interviewed 44 promoters by day and followed them out at night, first in New York, and then in Miami, the Hamptons, and Cannes, donning the requisite four-inch high heels and a <\/em><strong><em>hand-me-down<\/em><\/strong><em> Chanel purse.<\/em>\u201d Use the idiom in a sentence. Give a synonym.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What does \u201c<strong>spending spree<\/strong>\u201d mean? \u201c<em>I joined the VIP party because I wanted to understand how the rich think about <\/em><strong><em>spending sprees <\/em><\/strong><em>that, to outsiders, border on ridiculous.<\/em>\u201d Use the term in a sentence. Give a synonym.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What does \u201c<strong>whale<\/strong>\u201d mean here, \u201c<em>When the <\/em><strong><em>whales<\/em><\/strong><em> get to spending, the club feels electric: people cheer and take photos while beautiful cocktail waitresses carry sparkler-clad bottles of champagne to rich people\u2019s tables.<\/em>\u201d Use the word in a sentence in this context. Give a synonym.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Discussion Questions:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What are your thoughts on rich people\u2019s high-priced art, yachts, and private planes, all broadcasted in lurid detail on their social media accounts?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What can you say about this, \u201c<em>Rich people are ridiculous, and they know it.<\/em>\u201d?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Share your thoughts on this: \u201c<em>Girls are currency, but it is most valuable to men.<\/em>\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Share your insight on this: \u201c<em>Through their looks, they could get close to what they and most other women are otherwise excluded from: economic power. In this exploitative arrangement, women are active participants, and seeking pleasure, too.<\/em>\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do you think you would also find partying in this setting fun? Why or why not?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>B2 &#8211; Upper Intermediate\u00a0 Sociologist Ashley Mears attended VIP parties to understand how wealthy people view extravagant spending that can seem excessive to others. She discovered a strange mix of money and beauty, shaped by traditional gender roles and a blend of enjoyment and exploitation.&nbsp; Read the article about some surprising things Ashley Mears discovered [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[291,292,496,289,293],"class_list":["post-32466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-homework","tag-b2-upper-intermediate","tag-first-certificate-fce","tag-people-and-human-interest","tag-reading","tag-text"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v16.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Surprising Things about Partying with Rich People | phone english blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/2026\/04\/surprising-things-about-partying-with-rich-people\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Surprising Things about Partying with Rich People | phone english blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"B2 &#8211; Upper Intermediate\u00a0 Sociologist Ashley Mears attended VIP parties to understand how wealthy people view extravagant spending that can seem excessive to others. She discovered a strange mix of money and beauty, shaped by traditional gender roles and a blend of enjoyment and exploitation.&nbsp; Read the article about some surprising things Ashley Mears discovered [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/2026\/04\/surprising-things-about-partying-with-rich-people\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"phone english blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/phoneenglish.es\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-29T06:47:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@phoneenglishes\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@phoneenglishes\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\">\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\">\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"PHONE ENGLISH\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/phoneenglish.es\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/phoneenglish\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/phoneenglishes\"],\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/#logo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/phone-english1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/phone-english1.png\",\"width\":200,\"height\":124,\"caption\":\"PHONE ENGLISH\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/#logo\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"phone english blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\",\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/2026\/04\/surprising-things-about-partying-with-rich-people\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/2026\/04\/surprising-things-about-partying-with-rich-people\/\",\"name\":\"Surprising Things about Partying with Rich People | phone english blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-29T06:47:50+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-29T06:47:50+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/2026\/04\/surprising-things-about-partying-with-rich-people\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/2026\/04\/surprising-things-about-partying-with-rich-people\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/2026\/04\/surprising-things-about-partying-with-rich-people\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"item\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Blog\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"item\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/2026\/04\/surprising-things-about-partying-with-rich-people\/#webpage\"}}]},{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/2026\/04\/surprising-things-about-partying-with-rich-people\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/2026\/04\/surprising-things-about-partying-with-rich-people\/#webpage\"},\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/74786b784a3d32102e60c20d61b651c3\"},\"headline\":\"Surprising Things about Partying with Rich People\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-29T06:47:50+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-29T06:47:50+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/2026\/04\/surprising-things-about-partying-with-rich-people\/#webpage\"},\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"B2 - Upper intermediate\",\"First Certificate FCE\",\"People and Human Interest\",\"Reading\",\"Text\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Homework\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/2026\/04\/surprising-things-about-partying-with-rich-people\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/74786b784a3d32102e60c20d61b651c3\",\"name\":\"katie\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32466"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32466\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32467,"href":"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32466\/revisions\/32467"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}