Why Do Modern Women Still Become Debutantes?

Debutante balls date all the way back to the founding fathers in Philadelphia.

American debutante balls date all the way back to the founding fathers in Philadelphia, but started facing elitist and antifeminist criticism in the late 1960s. However, modern women — and their families — still pay tens of thousands of dollars for the table, the dress, the travel and the party. Some debutantes it is because they want to take part in a dying tradition, others do it for their family, and still more say that they enjoy the festivities.

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