Celebutante

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Celebutante is a portmanteau of the words celebrity and débutante. It is generally used to refer to a young woman from a rich family who has received a large amount of media attention, primarily for her wealth and lifestyle. It differs from socialite, because celebutantes are also celebrities, and are generally famous for being famous. The term is currently used to describe individuals such as Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, and Kim Kardashian in entertainment journalism.[1] Its coinage can be traced back to a 1939 Walter Winchell society column in which he used the word to describe prominent society debutante Brenda Frazier.[2] The word appeared again in a 1985 Newsweek article about New York City's clubland celebrities, focusing on the lifestyle of James St. James and Dianne Brill, who was crowned "Queen of the Night" by Andy Warhol.[3]

Contents

[edit] Individuals who have been called celebutantes

[edit] Women

[edit] Men

[edit] In popular culture

[edit] In literature

[edit] In film and television

[edit] In music

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ ABC News describes Paris Hilton as a "celebutante"
  2. ^ Winchell, Walter (April 7, 1939). "On Broadway (syndicated column)". Daily Times-News. 
  3. ^ "James St. James profile". Newsweek. 1985-06-03. 

[edit] References