<p>We turn our attention to NC's statewide debutante ball and hear from a more recent debutante. Anna from eastern NC talks about her experience: the bribe her older sister received, how Anna's thinking about deb culture changed over time, and the curious advice she received from an elder former debutante: Don't get too drunk. We also hear the Durham Debutante Society's response to the first two episodes. </p>

Debutantes as Southern Royalty - Part 1

Debutante culture in the South is fancy and persistent -- and often very secretive. In "Recovering Debs," writer and former debutante Mary Lambeth Moore examines the shadow side of high society in North Carolina, the only state that continues to have a statewide debutante ball. The podcast begins with a story from the 1960s when a young woman's prominent father made her debut a matter of life-and-death. 

Subsequent episodes include interviews with more recent state debutantes and academic experts who have studied deb culture. The recurring questions are why does debutante culture persist? Who benefits and how?  Limited series, with most episodes released on Wednesdays.