This tabloidy-sounding word is older than most people think.

Celebutante (celebrity + debutante) first emerged during the Great Depression, when – probably even more than today – it contained the mixed baggage of admiration and envy.

The original celebutante was Brenda Frazier, a media sensation who appeared on the cover of Life in 1938 sporting a sidewise glance and one of her signature strapless gowns.