What is a socialite?

Question

does it mean a rich person? like in the movie, "The Outsiders", the Soc's were short for socialite?

Answer 1

Yes, a rich person that likes to be seen at all of the rich person's places and parties.

Answer 2

Wikipedia has furnished a list of socialites (for those of us who feel compelled to look these things up), and after browsing the list, I would define a socialite as someone who is famous for being famous and usually wealthy (although the individual probably inherited wealth or married it), but who hasn't otherwise contributed anything else to society.  Among those included are the following:

------Charlotte Marie Promeline Casiraghi

daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco, Grace Kelly's granddaughter, currently enrolled at the Sorbonne.

------Frederic Prinz von Anhalt

Zsa Zsa Gabor's 8th husband, von Anhalt claimed he was the father of Anna Nichole Smith's daughter, Dannielynn;  von Anhalt was born Hans Robert Lichtenberg, the son of a German policeman who was adopted by Princess Maria August of Anhalt in 1980 (at age 37).

------Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald

Wife of novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald and the quintessential Flapper, Zelda was the model for Nichole Diver in her husband's novel, Tender as the Night.  

------Wallis Simpson

The woman for whom Edward VI of England loved and lost his throne.

Paris Hilton, incidentally, doesn't make the short list---yet.

Answer 3

A socialite is usually considered to be a person who mixes with the wealthy and important people of a city or town, and is seen at lots of social events and activities, and are often featured in the media.

They don't always have to be wealthy themselves, just attend the 'right' social events, have the 'right' friends and be seen at the 'right' places by someone with a camera.

Money can usually buy a person's way into being a 'socialite', but to stay there they have to be a party person, and willing to work at keeping their name in the society pages of the papers (and the web, too!).

Wealthy people who don't attend heaps of social events and who are not headline grabbers are not usually thought of as 'socialites', socialites are more public figures who get in the media.

Best wishes :-)

Answer 4

A socialite is someone who has rich parents and uses their money to live it up partying and being seen at public events.   Paris Hilton (ick) is a good example.

Answer 5

Basically it's a wealthy (usually aristocratic) heir who goes out to parties, galas, and big events like that. We've always had socialites. A modern day socialite could also extend to a person who has made their own fortune and goes out to big events.