Celebutante is a portmanteau of the words celebrity and debutante. 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. The term is currently used to describe individuals such as Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, and Nicole Richie in entertainment journalism.^[1] However 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]

Individuals who have been called celebutantes

• Lisa Edelstein
• James St. James^[4]
• Casey Johnson (heiress to Johnson & Johnson fortune)^[5]
• Paris Hilton
• Nicky Hilton
• Nicole Richie
• Kim Kardashian
• Edie Sedgwick^[6]

Books, films and television shows about celebutantes

• Disco Bloodbath: A Fabulous but True Tale of Murder in Clubland (1999 memoir by James St. James)
• Party Monster (2003 film based on the novel Disco Bloodbath)
• Party Monster: The Shockumentary (1998 documentary)
• Confessions of an Heiress: A Tongue-in-Chic Peek Behind the Pose (2004 book by Paris Hilton and Merle Ginsberg)
• Your Heiress Diary: Confess It All to Me (2005 book by Paris Hilton and Merle Ginsberg)
• Factory Girl (2006 film about the life of Edie Sedgwick)
• The Simple Life (television show starring Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie)
• Filthy Rich: Cattle Drive (television show)
• The Gastineau Girls (television show)
• Keeping Up With The Kardashians (television show)

See also

• Famous for being famous
• socialite
• debutante

References

1. ↑ ABC News describes Paris Hilton as a "celebutante"
2. ↑
3. ↑
4. ↑
5. ↑
6. ↑

Sources

• Essay on the etymology of the word