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” by Cynthia Lewis

The Season: A Social History of the Debutante by Kristen Richardson

“Bloodlines, Ball Gowns, Trashed in the Hotel Room: Hegemonic Processes of Debutantes as Southern Royalty” by Anna Shelton-Ormond. 

Our theme song, “Rare Thing” was written and produced by Max Gowan and performed by Qwilt. Available online soon!