I attended my
coming out party in 1999.
No, I'm not
gay. Rather, in Southern Pennsylvania we still do that whole
debutante thing.
The modern-day
prom held at the end of
high school was originally started so that
middle class girls could also participate in this ritual.
The figure of the
debutante originated in
Europe during the 1700's, when young
women were introduced to court gentlemen, ladies, and the
monarch. The purpose of this was the
coming of age-- transformation of a
girl to woman, letting others know that the woman was now
eligible for
marriage.
This sociological
phenomenon is mostly based on
biology and the instinct to find the 'best' possible mate to carry on one's
genes. It's found mostly in advanced, higly stratified societies such as the ones found in
Europe or
Asia, where both
men and
women have status to confer on the
other upon
marriage.
Though now, it's just a huge money bath.
Tradition says that a
girl should be escorted by
two men-- one civilian and one military (usually a
cadet from a military preparatory school). It's hard enough to get
guys to come to these things as it is-- so nobody really
does this anymore.
There are
two types of debutante
parties, both traditionally a
dinner ball. Earlier, such as in the 50's to 70's, it was appropriate to throw a small
luncheon or tea, but with the advent of 80's excess, the dinner ball became another vehicle for
conspicuous consumption. The
mass coming out is often an event to show off to
other families, and it takes some of the
pressure off of the
debutante. The most presitigous is the
International Ball, held each year in
New York and
Vienna, which allows the girl to come out not only in
American society but
European society as well. The other is the
private debut favored by snobs in
Boston and
Philadelphia, who view public parties in
poor taste.
The
public parties are usually done for benefit of a
charitable organization or part of an 'Assembly' like in Philadelphia, and can cost thousands of dollars a plate-- private parties can run much, much, higher.
However, nobody really cares anymore.