3. Her “Coming Out” Ball Cause A National Scandal During The Great Depression
While debutante balls still exist, they are not nearly as popular today as they were during Hutton’s lifetime. In fact, during Hutton’s time, if your parents had money you had to be a part of the debutante ball. This concept was known as your official arrival into society. These balls were extraordinarily fashionable and extravagant. Usually, the parents had no spending limits on what their daughter’s debutante ball cost because they wanted to show off their wealth and let others know their child was no on the marriage market.
Nearly everything Hutton did for and during her debutante ball was normal for her social standing. The party’s price tag was around $80,000, and she had all the best. Like most socialites, Hutton was 18 years old, but the timing was miserable because it was at the beginning of the Great Depression. Newspapers were quick to pick up on Hutton’s ball and what it cost. They reported it, and not many people were pleased about the cost. People all over America stated that this money could have gone somewhere else to help the current situation the country faced. The coverage became so horrifying for Hutton that she was sent to Europe so that she could escape it.