Camma Booth's presentation the 2006 Cary Debutante Ball. Photo by Chris Reynolds for The Cary News.
"The Few, The Proud, The Debs" is a 30-45 documentary that challenges the stereotypes surrounding debutante balls by exploring the modern adaptation of an age-old tradition in an idyllic small city in North Carolina.
The film follows Cassidy Cloninger, a career-oriented and socially conscious high school senior, over a seven-month period as she transforms into a debutante. Cassidy and 18 other young women, were chosen from roughly 150 applicants to be part of the 2007 Cary Debutante Society Ball.
The journey begins in May 2007 when the debutantes are selected and they assemble for the first time. The girls are selected from six Cary high schools and many of them have never met. They are not prissy, dumb, rich girls, as some might imagine a debutante would be. They are leaders: student council members, athletes, musicians, and artists. They are active community service volunteers. They are college bound. They are "the girls next door."
Despite this, the stereotypes remain prevalent. The debutantes are surrounded with people in their daily lives who do not understand why their student, friend, girlfriend or sister would choose to put so much time and effort into an ancient ritual that creates a specific role for women that could be repressive. What could a future doctor, lawyer, or politician get out of being a debutante anyway?
Over the course of seven months, the girls will transform. A shy girl can learn to socialize. An uncoordinated girl can learn to dance. They will struggle through disagreements and arguments amongst themselves. Some will bond together, while others are driven apart. Nevertheless, the debutantes work hard to prepare for the ball by learning etiquette, ballroom dancing, and curtseying. Although they are already busy girls, the debutantes put their time and effort towards this because they are proud to be recognized for their hard work with the community. But perhaps most of all, they just don't want to embarrass themselves at the ball.
Family time will increase as well: mothers shopping with their daughters, and fathers and brothers attending the dancing lessons. While this may be a major motivation for the parents to encourage their daughters to be debutantes, many young women will feel suffocated and it will cause tension within the family. Some families will feel the heavy financial burden caused by the ball: $1600, before the dresses (mother and debutante) or tux rentals for the fathers, the marshals and junior marshals (little brothers). Conflicts can arise if a debutante is not satisfied with the second hand dress her parents can afford or if she's doesn't want to spent her Sunday nights at dance rehearsals week after week.
The Father-Daughter Waltz at the 2006 Cary Debutante Ball. Photo by Chris Reynolds for The Cary News.
After the seven long months is over, it is finally time for the ball. The audience will get an inside look on a world many people have never seen. A large ballroom is covered in elegant decorations and young women in long white dresses are waltzing in unison. The debutantes are nervous and struggling to remember everything they learned. Parents proudly look on as their daughters experience a ritual that many of them were never able to participate in. The girls don't know it yet, but the title of "debutante" can open many doors for them. They now have connections to every other debutante around the world and have entered into that same exclusive social class. No one will know that these debutantes were chosen because of their character rather than their daddy's checkbooks.
