The Metropolis

Genius sociologist discovers secret to club access is who you know, girls, and money

Darren Atwater | Tuesday 15 June, 2010 07:03

Sociologist Lauren Rivera found an excellent technique to explore human interactions and social status: she got a job as a cigarette girl in a posh club, next to the bouncers.

She discovered:

[B]ouncers ran through a hierarchical list of qualities to determine in seconds who would enhance the image of the club and encourage high spending. Social networks mattered more than social class, or anything else for that matter. Celebrities and other recognized elites slipped through the door. And people related to or befriended by this “in crowd” often made the cut, too. Wealth is considered to be one of the strongest indicators of status, yet bouncers frowned upon bribes even though bribes are obvious displays of money. “New Faces,” as the bouncers called unrecognized club-goers, were selected on the basis of gender, dress, race, and nationality. Sometimes the final call boiled down to details as minor as the type of watch that adorned a man’s wrist.

If you want in to a club but don’t know anyone and don’t have money, then be female:

Bouncers weighed each cue differently. Social network mattered most, gender followed. For example, a young woman in jeans stood a higher chance of entrance than a well-dressed man. And an elegantly dressed black man stood little chance of getting in unless he knew someone special.

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