LORELAI: A debutante ball] is like animals being up for bid at the county fair, except sheep don’t wear hoop skirts.
A hoop skirt is an undergarment designed to hold the skirt of a dress into a fashionable shape. They were particularly popular in the mid nineteenth century. They are still worn today for historical costumes, and formal gowns, such as under a wedding dress.
The Annotated Gilmore Girls 