Debutante: Rites and Regalia of American Debdom - Karal Ann Marling - Google Books

https://books.google.de/books?id=5Ee0AAAAIAAJ&q=

It is an institution that seems almost hopelessly out of date, a social relic of bygone times. The very word "debutante" evokes images of prim, poised beauty, expensive gowns, and sumptuous balls, all of which seem anachronistic in these post-women's…