As a 30-year-old, the idea of debuting a, “woman who has reached the age of maturity” kind of sounded antiquated to me and a little bit backwards. However, that all changed when I was approached by Rachel Jackson of the Mudgee District Netball Association to MC next weekend’s Deb Ball. Rachel is passionate about shaping the minds and hearts of young women in the Mudgee Region and sat down to chat with me about what it means to be a Deb in 2018.

Summer: Can you elaborate on what a debutante is?

Rachel: Traditionally, a debutante or deb (from the French word débutante, meaning "female beginner") was a young lady from an upper class family who had reached the age of maturity and, as a new adult, was introduced to society at a formal "debut" presentation. Originally, it meant the young woman was eligible to marry, and part of the purpose of the ball was to display her to eligible bachelors and their families with a view to marriage within a select upper class circle.

Today, elements of this tradition remain, however the formal introduction into society is now about celebrating the individuality of each debutante. Because our ever-changing society has made it harder than ever to accept ourselves, our mission is to ensure that through making their debut, we are empowering these young women of our future to be proud of who they are and who they are choosing to become. We encourage our debs to go through our coaching program, The BeYOUtiful Project.

Summer: I love that the tradition has evolved to be more about self-love. Can you tell me about The BeYOUtiful Project?

Rachel: The BeYOUtiful Project aims to educate, inspire and empower the young women to pursue the journey to become their true self and lead a life full of purpose and passion through a series of workshops based around ‘self love’. This year, we have incorporated a graduation for The BeYOUtiful Project at the Deb Ball.

Summer: Is this the first year you’ve done the project?

Rachel: I actually founded the The BeYOUtiful Project in 2014 after joining the Mudgee District Netball Association committee. As coordinator of their annual major fundraiser, the Deb Ball, I thought this was a perfect opportunity to follow my passion of helping young women learn to empower themselves. I wanted to help them navigate their way into society and find their purpose in life with confidence whilst falling in love with themselves.

Because so many deb balls focus on the girls’ appearance, I wanted to break the mould and make it more about how they felt on the inside. The aim of The beYOUtiful Project is to celebrate individuality and practice self-development.

Summer: That sounds wonderful.

Rachel: It’s been so amazing watching these girls grow. I have found immense happiness and freedom in finding my true self and being able to sustain a positive mind and pass on those tools feels wonderful. As someone who struggled with my own self-worth and confidence, I knew that I wanted to actively begin to change this and The beYOUtiful Project is a major way I’ve been able to make it happen. Everything starts and finishes in your mind, and that means that it is the most important thing to nourish. I always share this quote with the debs because it truly captures the ethos of our program:

For more information on how to get involved with The BeYOUtiful Project and Debutante Ball, contact the Mudgee District Netball Association.

You can contact Rachel at beyoutifulmudgee@gmail.com or contact committee@mudgeedistrictnetball.hwy.com.au