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Nov 25, 2019 · In the early years of debutante presentation, there was less dissent. But as options for women grew, women became more conflicted about what a debutante presentation meant, and more aware of...
- Kristen Richardson
Nov 25, 2019 · In the early years of debutante presentation, there was less dissent. But as options for women grew, women became more conflicted about what a debutante presentation meant, and more aware of...
Dec 22, 2020 · Among the wealthy, today’s version of debutante culture seeks to uphold the tenants of its tradition in the sense that gowns are worn, dances are learned, and young women of certain status are introduced to society.
- Vivian Manning-Schaffel
May 9, 2022 · After all, white attracts stains, making it impractical for working-class women. Today, donning white represents a way for the elite to flaunt their status rather than a declaration of purity or virginity, as is associated with the white of most wedding gowns.
- Engrid Barnett
- The Daughter Problem
- A Country Rite of Passage
- A Mark of Wealth and Class
- Chinese-Australian Communities Embrace Deb Balls
- One Young Woman Campaigns For Change
- What Will The Future Look Like For Debutante Balls?
- Credits
Kristen Richardson became a bit of a history detective when she first tried to trace debutante balls right back to their starting point. After a lot of legal and social research the writer “figured out it was actually because of the Reformation —not solely, but it was precipitated by Henry VIII,” she says. When the infamous monarch broke away from ...
Maria O’Sullivan still remembers all of the details of her debutante ball. The academic now works at Monash University in Melbourne, where she researches human rights and refugee law. But before her legal career began, she took part in a debutante ball through her school in Canberra in 1989. “There was quite a strict dress code so we couldn’t wear ...
In the wealthy communities in the US and even Russia, where Kristen researched debutante balls, she says these balls are often also used to signify wealth and class. In places like New York, she says, some balls have celebrities attend and the events are covered by fashion magazines. Television show Gossip Girl, which followed the fictional lives o...
Michael Louey was just a teenager when he attended one of the last debutante ball held by the Young Chinese League in Melbourne during the 1980s. “It was exciting leading up to the event, the boys went out to hire suits and we knew the girls were arranging their dresses,” he remembers. Ball organisers would pair young people up to do the ball toget...
Kiana Prewett always knew she wanted to do a debutante ball. “I guess it just was growing up as a young girl seeing it on TV and the magic of it all and I just wanted to experience that,” she says. “And coming from a lower socio-economic class it just seemed so fancy.” In 2014 she had a chance to take part through her school Mount Clear College in ...
After writing a book about the history of debutante balls, Kristen has come to believe that they are an “unkillable” tradition. She spent a lot of time talking to young women about why they wanted to take part in a debutante ball. Kristen says there are a range of factors which influence the popularity of balls including politics and culture, class...
Reporting: Elise KinsellaPhotography: Danielle BonicaDigital production: Sian JohnsonEditor: Kate HigginsToday, a cotillion or debutante ball in the United States is a formal presentation of young women, debutantes, to "polite society", typically hosted by a charity or society. Those introduced can vary from the ages of 16 to 18 (younger ages are more typical of Southern regions, while older are more commonplace in the North).
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Feb 9, 2022 · Although the practice originated in England, debutante balls and the presentation of young women to high society soon spread throughout the world. After the United States became independent from England, debutantes were presented in Washington, D.C. to the president and the first lady.
