By Anoushka Rawat
Abstract
This article traces back to the idea of a Debutante Ball or the Coming Out Ball, which flourished during the 18th century in Europe and America. It entails as to how this aristocratic event travelled till the 21st century with the help of a media revamp. Even though the historical idea behind The Ball, which involves presenting daughters into the marriage market has shifted, it still touches upon the minds of young girls or Debs. It furthermore outlays as to how this event divides society in a multifaceted manner.
From the 18th century to the 21st century
Jane Austen in Pride and Prejudice (1813), opens the book with a quote, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” This is where the idea of organising a debutante ball stems from. During the 1780s, when Queen Charlotte’s ball was first organised, it was to be a charity event to raise funds to build a hospital. But soon it transformed into a series of exclusive events which dotted London’s Social Calendar. Girls as young as 15 years of age, belonging to the upper echelons of British families would be presented to the marriage market through the Debutante Ball. It allowed them to marry their daughters to economically well and socially high-class families.
As England was a dominant global power, especially during the 18th century, the practices and events relating to The Crown travelled outside the boundaries of the British landscape. Subsequently, the practice of Debutante Balls was featured regularly in the courts of other European monarchies. This allowed easy alliances between different monarchical families and daughters were viewed as ‘pawns’ of doing so. Gradually, this practice crept into the British colonies, particularly America wherein the first Debutante Ball was held in 1817 in Savannah, Georgia. This was organised exclusively for the daughters of white British settlers. Later, every major American city assimilated this event and held their own elitist-only balls.
The Debutante Ball is entrenched with the conservative ideas of gender and class. Firstly, it presents women within the stereotypical framework of femininity wherein; they are required to be agreeable enough, first to their fathers and subsequently to their husbands. Moreover, it reinforces society’s expectations of a woman’s appearance, etiquette, grace and their ability to conform to the aforementioned ideas. This restrictive view exerts a certain kind of pressure on the minds of young teenage girls which negatively impacts their self-esteem and self-worth. Additionally, they are required to dress up in an all-white attire which symbolises the ‘purity’ of the woman wearing it. Masked behind elaborate gowns is the narrow-minded view of curtailing a woman’s sexual autonomy as well as restraining control of her own body and mind just like a corset does to her torso.
Secondly, the Debutante Ball reinforces multifaceted class ideas within society. With it being an exclusive nature and being associated with the upper sections of society, it creates a barrier amongst different socioeconomic backgrounds. As the population from the lower sections constantly feels the need to be assimilated within the ‘higher culture’, they steadily accept practices that revolve around the ambit of the upper sections and let go of their own traditions. Consequently, the elitist idea, which is symbolised as being ‘correct’ or ‘socially acceptable’ penetrates within the demographic landscape. Furthermore, it deepens the economic inequalities as families that are considered ‘rich enough’ are only invited to the event. Thus, it widens the gap between the ‘bourgeoisie’ and ‘proletariat’ sections of the population which consequently strengthens the feelings of inadequacy within the latter.
Thirdly, this historically aristocratic event was racially exclusive as well. It was, for the longest time, associated with white communities and excluded all other ethnic and racial minorities. As a result of which, the cultural and traditional practices of the whites were seen with a sense of superiority by the others. Thus, explaining as to why they felt a compulsion to conform to their norms. It led to cultural homogenization (refers to an aspect wherein various cultures are subsumed within a universal culture) wherein, Eurocentric standards of beauty, grace and etiquettes were established. Even though, in 1895 the first Black American Debutante Ball was held in New Orleans, it strictly followed the customs of their White counterparts. One of the aims of the aforementioned event was to uplift the Afro-American community and aid their daughters to break the shackles of racial stereotypes. But it actually resulted in them incorporating the elitist and exclusionary idea of the Whites, within their viewpoint. They essentially became the agents of the infusion of these traditionalist ideas within the society and their community.
Given the background of Debutante Balls, it shouldn’t have carried on up till the 21st century. Yet, it remains one of the most coveted events in the world of social media. However, it has shifted from a matrimonial event to a charity-based social event. This transformation is greatly owed to the media revamp, which provided the public with a new viewpoint. It branded the Ball as the one wherein, women publicly discussed their ambitions in life. A modern reference for that could be an episode of Gossip Girl, wherein Serena Van Der Woodsen and Blair Waldorf were seen as committing to aid charity work, alongside their aspirations to apply to Ivy League Universities. But, what it also showcases is how Serena’s grandmother pressurises her to present herself in front of society and how a disagreement occurs between Serena and her mother when she doesn’t talk about settling down in her life with two children and working for the Junior League. It shows her grandmother and mother still conforming to the gender stereotypes of society, which includes controlling Serena’s personal life and not allowing her to be herself. Another reference could be a couple of episodes of the show, The Summer I Turned Pretty, wherein Belly, a 16-year-old girl attends a pre-Ball training session. The main objective of it was to incorporate ladylike behaviour and mannerisms so as to present her as a debutante chic teenager. It also shows her wearing a white ball gown which subtly shows the obsession of the society with the ‘purity of a woman’. Thus, behind the curtains of a fairytale ball lies a conservative viewpoint that is now being subtly percolated into society with the help of the media and rebranding it as an instragrammable event.
Conclusion
Though it has shifted from a marriage-based event, it is still viewed as a significant social event as daughters formally make their ‘debut’ within the societal framework. An event packed with glitz and glamour, it results in a plethora of experiences wherein some girls get the comfort of living their Disney Princesses’ fantasy whereas, some others constantly feel the compulsion to fit into the standards the society has laid down for women. Thus, one could never comprehend the Debutante Ball from a single perspective as it can be both liberating as well as repressive.
A certain group of feminists still believe that the Debutante Ball could never let go of its narrow ideals of how a woman, belonging to a particular social class, ought to behave if they attended an exclusive event. What they also believe is that women in such a setting are seen as objects waiting to be approved by society whilst looking pretty and graceful enough all the time. No matter how much the media tries to paint this event as an opulent one laced with glimmer, it shall be a reminder of sexist ideals intertwined with narrowed views of gender, class and marriage.
Author’s Bio
Anoushka Rawat is a second-year student of Bachelors in Global Affairs, at the Jindal School of International Affairs. She is deeply interested in the area of gender studies and varied perspectives of feminism.
Image Source: https://gilmorestudios.com/ and https://uccaillinois.org/events/umana-debutante-ball/
NICKELED AND DIMED 