Coming out into society..

Let me preface this post by saying how terribly sorry I am for going almost two months without updating my blog. It's a miracle the amazing people at the Shelby Star haven't fired me already -- so for that, thank you :). The second I finished up my junior year of high school, I packed my bathing suit and AP Style Guide and headed to Mrytle Beach for Journalism Camp (Yayyy I'm officially a senior!). There, I successfully created a Style Guide with my Associate Editor for my own newspaper staff and somehow managed to come up with the theme for our 2009 Yearbook -- go figure. As soon as I returned, I loaded up my cruiser and headed to Black Mountain for the 2008 YMCA Conference on National Affairs. You all have already heard about the amazingness of CONA (if not, see previous post), so I won't bore you with the details. But I will say that John Mayer was wrong. Our generation most certainly does not plan on standing back and "waiting on the world to change". We're changing it as we speak and in the words of the great Barack Obama yes we can. I came home from CONA to find my computer infected with a ridiculous number of viruses so I have been without internet access for the past month and a half. So there you have it...my pathetic excuse for not blogging this summer.

During the last week, I've done quite the amount of TV watching. In this period of time, I've discovered that an abnormal number of shows and movies poke fun at the Southern tradition of a Debutante Ball. Gossip Girl, What a Girl Wants, She's the Man, Gilmore Girls and a few other movies and shows all put their own spin on Deb Balls; making hysterically funny references to "looking like a snow queen" and that "high heels were invented by males in order to make a woman's butt look smaller".
I am opposed to being a Debutante. My distaste for the tradition has nothing to do with the white dress or shoes (what girl doesn't want to wear a gorgeous dress and romantically waltz with the love of her life?), but more of the symbolism of a patriarchal society. Why do men not have coming out balls and parties? Wikipedia defines a debutante as a young lady from an aristocratic or upper class family who has reached the age of maturity, and as a new adult, is introduced to society at a formal presentation known as her "debut" or "coming out". Originally, it meant the young woman was eligible for marriage, and part of the purpose was to display her to eligible bachelors and their families with a view to marriage within a select upper class circle. Should men not have the same opportunity to be presented to society? I would think so.
Futhermore, why spend the money it costs to be a Deb plus the money I would spend on dresses for parties, the two parties each Deb is required to throw, and the one big, poofy, white dress when I could donate it to aid victims of female circumcisions in Africa?
So to all of you senior Debs out there: please don't take this as criticism. Maybe you like the tradition and the thought of being presented to society -- I totally respect your decision. It's just not the thing for me. Besides, well behaved women rarely make history :).

Love always,
Ms. Alexandra Hollifield (who has been "out" for years)