This study was undertaken with the principle research objective of understanding the motivation to engage in and benefits received from participation in a debutante ball. The increased materialism and return to conservative values in the '80's, contrasted with the rejection of social conformity popular in the '60's, have been posited as reasons for the increased participation in these traditional events. A variety of reasons for this cyclical participation pattern have been proposed. Another example, and the one that will be examined in this study, is the revival of debutante balls. A primary example of this was the sharp rise in Sorority and Fraternity membership on college campuses. Thus, the modern celebration of this ritual creates dissonance for the debutantes, which they reduce by emphasizing positive motivations for participation.ĭuring the decade of the 1980's, participation in traditional activities that had been on the decline throughout the late 1960's and 1970's experienced a strong resurgence. However, the lack of lasting behavioral change and rejection of social implications cause the debutante ball to lose significance for the participants. This ritual is high in vitality, due to the strong presence of tangible components of ritual behavior. The debutante ball is a rite of passage with marked social status symbolism. This project examines the vitality and significance of a traditional American ritual, the debutante ball, using qualitative data gathered through participant observation and in-depth interviews. THE CONSUMPTION OF INSIGNIFICANT RITUALS: A LOOK AT DEBUTANTE BALLS Rothschild, Provo, UT : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 709-716.Īdvances in Consumer Research VolPages 709-716 Jennifer Edson Escalas (1993) ,"The Consumption of Insignificant Rituals: a Look At Debutante Balls", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 20, eds. Thus, the modern celebration of this ritual creates dissonance for the debutantes, which they reduce by emphasizing positive motivations for participation. ABSTRACT - This project examines the vitality and significance of a traditional American ritual, the debutante ball, using qualitative data gathered through participant observation and in-depth interviews.
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