In our society, when we think of a young woman dressed to the nines in a long white gown and pearl jewelry, the first thought that springs to mind is a bride on her wedding day. However, for young ladies of the upper-crust, their wedding day will not be the first time that they are the center of attention while wearing a stunning gown. For these young ladies are debutantes, a certain class of 18 year old who is presented to society in an exclusive and lavish ball. Throughout our history, there have been quite a few well known debutantes, many of whom have led glamorous and yet sometimes tragic lives. This is a peek into the rarefied world of high society debutantes.

The practice of presenting one's daughter to society is an ancient custom. It was essentially done to let all in the community know that a young woman had come of age and was available to accept suitors. The special event was often marked with elaborate ceremonies, and this was as true for the Mayans and the Aztecs as it is for the wealthiest families in the world today (along with some families of more modest means). It is believed that the American Latino custom of the Quinceanera, which is a coming out party for girls when they reach the age of fifteen, is descended from a combination of Aztec, Native American, and Roman Catholic rites as they were blended by the original Spanish colonists.

            The debut or debutante ball as we know it today began in 17^th Century Great Britain. The daughters of the nobility were presented to the King and Queen at the royal court in an elaborate and elegant ritual. The young ladies who were presented at court represented the aristocracy of Britain, and to be considered for this great honor, first a prospective debutante had to be sponsored, just as one would for admission to any other exclusive type of club. From the beginning, the debutantes were required to observe a strict dress code and to participate in formal rituals. This is the origin of the curtsey in the debutante ball, a custom that is still observed today (even in the United States), even though debutantes no longer bow to royalty during their debut. The last class of young noblewomen to be presented before the Queen was in 1958, after which Queen Elizabeth II put an end to the custom.

The original purpose of the debutante cotillion was to introduce the young lady to adult society, and more specifically to let all assembled know that she was now old enough to begin a courtship (under strict supervision of course). In this sense, not much had changed since the days of the Mayans and Aztecs, and in the custom-rich world of debutantes today, the general purpose of a debut is pretty much the same (the only difference being that in the U.S. today, it is not expected that a debutante will get married shortly after her coming out party at age eighteen).

As the colonists populated the United States, they brought English customs with them, including the debut for the daughters of high society. By the 18^th Century in America, debuts were less lavish, and the opportunity to become a debutante was based on the family's social standing as defined by achievement rather than heritage. In the New World, a man could achieve prominence in his community by his deeds as much as his name, and his daughters could reap the rewards. In the North, eighteen was the usual age for a debut, although is the South, debutantes were often as young as fourteen.

Interestingly enough, while this concept of a meritocracy was to fade among the white upper class (replaced by social standing based primarily on wealth during the 19^th Century), it has not disappeared entirely from the world of American debutantes. There are balls around the country that have been organized to feature girls who would have been excluded from the mainstream debutante cotillions because of their race, religion, or ethnicity. Some of these include the Hispanic Debutante Ball in Ft. Worth, Texas, the Catholic Fleur-de-lis Ball in St. Louis, Missouri, and a variety of debutante cotillions for young African-American ladies arranged by groups such as Jack and Jill of America and the Links. These cotillions tend to incorporate cultural traditions within the standard cotillion framework, with a family's achievement and civic involvement being as important as wealth in gaining entrance to the ball for their daughters.

The golden age of American debutantes was in the 1930s. It was, paradoxically, during the Great Depression that Americans had the most reverence for glamor and luxury. The debutantes of the '30s were the first to become famous simply for being debutantes. The depression was also a glamorous time in Hollywood, and the young ladies of the "cafe society" were treated like movie stars or royalty. Their stories were followed closely in the press, and they were alternately embraced for their high style and derided for the lavish lifestyles that they led while regular Americans were suffering. The famous debutantes of the 1930s were dubbed the "poor little rich girls" by the press, in reference to the turbulent lives led by the ultra-rich daughters of the upper class.

There is no doubt that the pampered and privileged lives of young ladies like Gloria Vanderbilt, Barbara Hutton, and Brenda Frazier were filled with as much tumult as glamor. Gloria Vanderbilt, who despite never having made a debut was annointed the "Debutante of the Year", was embroiled in a nasty custody dispute as a young child. Her case was watched closely in the press, as Americans reveled in the intimate look into the twists and turns of an upper crust family.

When Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton made her debut in 1933, the extravaganza at the Ritz-Carleton was so expensive that it caused a public outcry. The supper dance cost approximately $60,000 which was an enormous sum for a party (it would be like spending $1 million today), and at the height of the Great Depression, it was just too much for most Americans to stomach. So distraught was Miss Hutton by the relentless bad publicity that she eventually fled to Europe to get away from the press.

            Barbara Hutton was living proof of the old saying that money doesn't buy happiness. Her mother died when she was five years old, leaving her extremely wealthy, but without any type of family life. She herself said that her childhood was an unhappy one, despite having every imaginable luxury and privilege. Barbara Hutton went from an unhappy childhood to an unhappy adulthood. She had a string of seven husbands, including three princes, actor Cary Grant (whom she said was the nicest of the bunch), and legendary playboy Porfirio Rubirosa. Later years found Hutton struggling with drugs and the results of her outrageous spending habits. It is said that she died with only a few thousand dollars in the bank, despite having inherited one of the greatest American fortunes of all time. Her tragic story was chronicled in movies like 1987's "Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story" starring Farrah Fawcett.

The most famous debutante of all time was Miss Brenda Frazier, whose 1938 debut graced the cover of Life magazine. The term "celebutante" was coined to describe the beautiful young society lady, who was constantly photographed and written about by columnists such as Walter Winchell. It is said that Miss Frazier was so careful to maintain an impeccable appearance for the press that she would often get a stiff neck from holding her head still to keep her hair perfect. Americans lapped up images of the stylish young debutante gracing the hot spots of cafe society in her stunning strapless gowns.

            Unlike in the Gilded Age of the late 19^th Century, it was not only a good name, but popularity with the media that helped to make a girl famous and important enough to be a deb. Brenda Frazier could be seen to be one of the first of the media darlings whose pictures we see everywhere today for no other reason than they are rich and well dressed (à la Paris Hilton). The lovely Miss Frazier was so iconic that she was even featured in advertising for products like Studebaker automobiles. As is true today, the press was in turns adoring and scornful of the wealthy and beautiful debutante.

            Like Barbara Hutton, Brenda Frazier did not have a particularly happy childhood, dating back to her parents' divorce when she was eleven. Raised primarily by her grandmother, Hutton was also to experience misery in her adult life. She had two failed marriages, as well as problems with nervous breakdowns, anorexia, and bulimia. In the end, the most famous debutante and social butterfly ever became a broken-down near-hermit before eventually succumbing to cancer.

Not all debutantes have led such tragic lives or have come to sad ends. Another famous debutante of the golden age was tobacco heiress Doris Duke. Dubbed the "Million Dollar Baby" by the press, Doris Duke became one of the richest women in the world when her father died before she was even thirteen years old. Duke's father had not only founded the American Tobacco Company, but also Duke Energy, and he endowed Duke University (formerly known as Trinity College). Her debut to society was held at her family's Newport, Rhode Island mansion, Rough Point. Unlike her fellow debs of the 1930s, though, Doris Duke was a independent and unpretentious young woman, who despite some personal tragedy, went on to lead a rich and interesting life.

Doris Duke had two fairly short lived marriages, the first to James Cromwell of Palm Beach who was more than a decade her senior, and the second to Porfirio Rubirosa (yes, the same one married by Barbara Hutton), which resulted in a daughter who lived only one day. During her first around-the-world honeymoon, Doris Duke acquired a lifelong passion for travel. Her other passions included fine art (she amassed one of the most impressive collections of Islamic art found in any private collection), fashion, and charity. Although Doris Duke lived a lavish lifestyle befitting a so-called "Million Dollar Baby", she did not let it bankrupt her mentally or financially, and she was estimated to have donated over $400 million to charitable causes.

Another well-known American woman who was known for much more than being a debutante was none other than Miss Jacqueline Bouvier. Dubbed the Debutante of the Year in 1947, Miss Bouvier debuted in a simple tea dance at Hammersmith Farm in Newport, Rhode Island. She was escorted by her cousin John Ryan to the dance, which was followed later by a clambake for the younger high society crowd. The restrained Miss Bouvier disliked the attention of the press that surrounded her debut, although it was nothing compared to the public attention when she married Senator John F. Kennedy in 1953 or when she became First Lady of the United States in 1961.

            The 1960s and 1970s were an era known as the "Deb drought". In the vast social changes of the women's liberation and youth movements, the quaint idea of being presented to society as a marriageable young lady lost its relevance and appeal. The long white gown, demure pearl jewelry, and the little bouquet were all too much like preparation for being a bride, when many women of the day were more concerned with starting careers than families. And forget about the grand curtsey to society at the formal cotillion!

Tradition has a way of winning out, however, and by the 1980s, debutante balls were back in vogue. It makes perfect sense, considering that in the '80s lavish parties and conservative values were the style of the day. The 1980s deb was not much different than the young ladies who had come before her. She was still expected to wear a tasteful white gown fit for a demure young woman. No sequins, no decollatage, and no polyester! Long kid gloves and white or silver evening shoes, minimal makeup, and a small bouquet of flowers completed the effect. And the curtsey was still the pinnacle of the actual moment when the debutante was presented before adult society.

One of the young ladies who brought debutantes back to the public eye was Cornelia Guest. The daughter of legendary style icon and Palm Beach hostess C.Z. Guest and Phipps Steel heir Winston Guest (who was a cousin of Winston Churchill's), Miss Guest entertained the press with her breezy blonde good looks, easy charm, and a combination of proper breeding and relaxed rock-n-roll attitude. She was christened the "It Girl" by Andy Warhol and the New York Times. The goddaughter of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Cornelia Guest's 1982 debut at the International Ball in New York was covered by Time, Life, People, and The Washington Post, to name a few.

The 1982 Deb of the Year was considered to be the first celebrity socialite of her era, but unlike some of those preceding her, Miss Guest was no "poor little rich girl" condemned to a life of misery and heartbreak. She followed her debut with some acting, writing, and other pursuits, including a tongue-in-cheek look at her world, called "The Debutante's Guide to Life". She went on to be a spokesperson for the prestigious La Prairie skincare line, among other things.

Debutante balls continue to this day, and at many of the long-established ones, little has changed through the years. They have perhaps become slightly less strict, especially in terms of the conduct expected from a debutante, but in general when a upper class young woman debuts at eighteen today, it will be very similar to her mother's cotillion. There are however, some modern versions of debutante balls that are coming into style.

One of the best known of the new breed of debutante balls is the Hôtel de Crillon Ball held annually in Paris. Founded in 1991, the ball is geared less towards the conservative Connecticut crowd, and more towards the rich and famous international jet-setter. The young ladies presented at the Hôtel de Crillon Ball are the daughters of rock stars, European aristocrats, newly minted Russian billionaires, and politicians. According to the event's founder, the purpose of the ball is not to present young women to society as eligible to be wed, but to give the girls a chance to meet new (carefully chosen, ultra-wealthy) friends, wear haute couture gowns, and to basically take part in a fabulous party. The ball was put on the map when beautiful young Lauren Bush chose to make her debut there in 2000, shortly after her uncle George W. Bush's election to the Presidency. Her debut landed Lauren Bush on the covers of Vogue and Vanity Fair, as well as a modeling contract with Tommy Hilfiger.

The entire style of the Hôtel de Crillon Ball is high fashion and chic. The debutantes are not restricted to wearing modest white gowns with minimal adornment; they are bedecked in the latest in Parisian haute couture, complete with lavish embellishment and plenty of color. The debs wear heavier and more showy jewelry than would have be dreamt of just a decade or two ago. The modern take on the debutante ball places an emphasis on fashion over maintaining an image of purity. It remains to be seen how much glitzy balls like the Hôtel de Crillon will influence the conservative and traditional cotillions that have been around for generations

As one of the few coming-of-age rituals for American women, the debutante ball continues to hold a firm place in upper-class society. Although is is a world of privilege into which most will never enter, it nonetheless has the power to fascinate and intrigue. The long, long history of the tradition of debutantes is proof that the more things change, the more they stay the same.