ABSTRACT
Society women with high public profiles could control only to a limited extent how their activities and appearance would be interpreted and presented to a reading public. Publicity entailed risks, and yet newspaper publicity became an integral part of life for those active in high society. In considering the relationship between the press and society, it is important to note that celebrities and the mass media were dependent on each other. Some women who sought to assert their social leadership undoubtedly made use of the press. This in itself suggests that society celebrities trusted that journalists would present information in acceptable ways. With regard to the relationship between the press and its readers, it may be assumed both from the style of discourse and from the fact that society columns often appeared next to the women's page that the target reader of society news was female.
