Behind the Curtain: Debutantes and Secrecy

Are Debs Beside the Point?

In this final episode, Mary offers personal reflections and parting thoughts. She reviews key points from the podcast and reaches a surprising conclusion: Perhaps, at its core, the NC debutante ball isn’t really so much about the young women who debut. She also discusses the exclusivity of the debutante season as a symptom of larger economic barriers in the state. Rachel Hope Anderson offers guest comments on her experience as a non-debutante at Davidson College. Find out more: “Secret Sharing: Debutantes Coming out in the American South [https://uncpress.org/book/9781469608402/secret-sharing-debutantes-coming-out-in-the-american-south/]” by Cynthia Lewis The Season: A Social History of the Debutante [https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393608731] by Kristen Richardson “Bloodlines, Ball Gowns, Trashed in the Hotel Room: Hegemonic Processes of Debutantes as Southern Royalty [https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/concern/honors_theses/w95054516]” by Anna Shelton-Ormond.  Our theme song, “Rare Thing” was written and produced by Max Gowan and performed by Qwilt. Available online soon!

Protecting Southern Womanhood (1920s and 2020s)

Short bonus: We go back to the era when North Carolina debutantes first emerged, shortly after women won the right to vote – but with no thanks to NC lawmakers. Mary discovers a family connection to the NC senator who tried his best to block women’s suffrage. She muses on the timing of the state’s first debs and the timing in young women’s lives today. Plus, the control men exercise over high society, then and now.

Stories, Questions, Answers & More Questions

This episode covers a lot of ground, including personal stories and bits of NC debutante history. We hear directly from four NC women who have deb-related memories—some funny, some poignant. We also answer listener questions, delving into how one becomes an NC debutante (you can’t apply) and how the whole thing began (the first NC debutante ball was a beauty pageant!).  Mary also shares a personal story about a deb party where she blurts out the truth to a reporter.  Be sure to catch our bonus episode on September 11, and the final episode, available on September 25.

Behind the Curtain: Debutantes and Secrecy

“Secrecy gives you control over somebody who doesn't know the secret. It can also hide the truth from yourself.” This week’s guest, Dr. Cynthia Lewis, has interviewed a lot of people who have something to hide, like criminal investigators and professional gamblers. To her surprise, debutantes were just as slippery. She also discusses deb culture’s special strength in the South and why many deb groups are run by men. And don’t miss this excellent Indy Week article [https://indyweek.com/culture/recovering-debs-podcast/]!

Debutantes as Southern Royalty - Part 2

Continuing the conversation with Anna Shelton-Ormond, we dive into a more analytical view of NC’s debutante scene. Anna’s research indicates that many NC debs are ambivalent in some way. So with all this ambivalence, why does the debutante tradition continue? Turns out that strong social, economic and cultural incentives exist that may keep it in place—incentives that aren’t usually discussed in polite society.