Sociologist Heather Laine Talley, writing in the American Journal of Sociology, noted that while Pricing Beauty is about "how fashion insiders create aesthetic value," it also examines "the organization of markets, the process of cultural production, and reproduction of inequalities.

"[13] A review in The Chronicle of Higher Education criticized this conclusion, suggesting that "Mears's attempts to make the numbers support her critique of the fashion industry for its whiteness reveal more about her wish to expose it than anything else.

"[14] Publishers Weekly noted that Pricing Beauty was "probably too complex for the average reader" but praised the book as "a well-researched, well-written, and thorough study of the industry.

"[15] In 2017, she was awared with the "Section on the Body and Embodiment Best Publication Award" for her article Girls as Elite Distinction: The Appropriation of Bodily Capital by Boston University.

[19] Writing for The Times Literary Supplement, Alice Bloch lauded Very Important People for exploring the nuances of social relationships "without passing predictable moral judgement".