Gender reveal party: Difference between revisions

A gender-reveal party is a party held during pregnancy to reveal the baby's sex to the expectant parents, family, and friends. Prenatal sex discernment technology furnishes the necessary information.^[1][2] Originating in the United States in the late 2000s, gender reveal parties are common only in the English-speaking world.^[3][4]

It is distinct from, but sometimes combined with, a

The gender reveal party developed in the late 2000s. An early example was recorded in the 2008 posts of then-pregnant Jenna Karvunidis on her ChicagoNow blog High Gloss and Sauce announcing the sex of her fetus via cake.^[6] YouTube videos can be found as early as 2008 and 2009, becoming significant around 2011, after which the trend continued to grow through the 2010s.^[3][2]

In 2019, Karvunidis expressed regret at having helped start the trend, seeing how far some had taken it (see

Baby showers, a traditional prenatal celebration, have some key differences with gender-reveal parties. Primarily, the focus on gender-reveal parties is fetal sex, while baby showers focus on the giving of supplies and items for the future infant to the expectant parent(s). Traditionally, baby showers are for women only, while gender-reveal parties have no inherently-associated gender restriction and attendee limitations (if any) are determined by the pregnant individual or couple. Some couples combine the two.^[1][2]

Spread and mediatization

The trend was popularized on

Post-examination knowledge of the fetal sex by the parents varies. Most commonly, a third party (sometimes called a "gender guardian") is entrusted with the fetal sex and it remains a secret from the parents until the reveal. This person is responsible for making party arrangements to ensure the reveal happens without the prior knowledge of the parents. However sometimes, it is known by the parents prior and the reveal to specifically for attendees.[1]

To help maintain the mystery, party decorations are typically heavily gendered, but ambiguous and androgynous when taken as a whole.^[1]

During the event

While the focus remains on the fetal sex, the reveal is typically the climax of the party. Prior to the reveal, party games are common where attendees or expecting parent(s) guess or assert the fetal sex.^[1] This can also take the form of competition between a "Team Pink" and "Team Blue" of which parent(s) or participants may form.^[1][2]

Sometimes the event includes features of a baby shower. If this is the case, gifts may be given or opened at a specific time before or after the reveal.^[1][2]

The Reveal

Most reveal methods utilize

Once these colors are revealed, both the expecting parent(s) and onlookers are made aware of the fetus's sex, typically to great celebration and comment by attendees. The announcement of a predetermined, sex-dependent baby name can also take place.^[1]

Criticism

The

Furthermore, gender-reveal parties rely heavily on the male-female gender binary, which assumes the child will not be biologically intersex, which occurs in an estimated 1 in 4500–5500 births.^[10][11] Gender-reveal parties reinforce sex and gender assignment and gender essentialism, precluding and minimizing transgender identification, which can cause issues with mental and emotional health.^[3][10] Some parents have rejected gender-reveal events because of a greater awareness of gender identity.^[5]

Overall the practice heavily reinforces stereotypical gender roles, often utilizing polarizing gender dichotomies in party materials such as "Guns or Glitter", "Pistols or Pearls", or "Wheels or Heels".^[1][2] Critics say that there is no reason to assume that a child would fit neatly into the essentialist dichotomy even where the sex is accurately determined and assigned gender remain the same.^[5][9][10]

In 2019, Jenna Karvunidis, considered one of the pioneers of gender reveal parties, called for re-evaluation of the practice due to how it might affect

• Some instances of attempted spectacular special effects at gender-reveals have caused injury, death, and even large-scale damage.

• The 2017 Sawmill Fire in Arizona was caused by a gender-reveal party that combined blue powder and an explosive. Other dangerous stunts have involved fireworks and alligators.^[15]

• "Gender reveal burnouts", in which cars emit billowing clouds of pink or blue smoke, are a fad that became popular in Australia around 2018. The Queensland Police Service warns that this practice is dangerous, and that there have been a number of attempted "burnouts" that resulted in flaming vehicles and arrests.^[16]

• In September 2019, there was a
  crop duster was attempting to drop 350 gallons of colored water for a reveal. The pilot was not injured and the passenger received minor injuries.^[17]

• In October 2019, an Iowa woman was killed by debris from the explosion of a homemade device meant to reveal her grandchild's gender.^[18]

• In September 2020, a gender-reveal pyrotechnic device started the El Dorado Fire near Yucaipa, California, destroying homes, prompting evacuations, burning thousands of acres,^[19][20] and causing the death of one firefighter.^[21]

• On February 21, 2021, the accidental explosion of an in-development gender reveal device in Liberty, New York killed the father-to-be and injured his younger brother.^[22][23]

• On March 29, 2021, two people were killed when a plane crashed in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Mexico while carrying a trailing sign that read "It's a girl!"^[24]

• On April 20, 2021, 80 pounds of tannerite were detonated during a gender reveal party near Kingston, New Hampshire, causing mild to moderate damage to buildings surrounding the radius of the explosion.^[25]

Parties for transgender people

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2020)

Some families of transgender individuals host gender-reveal parties for transgender family members who come out during these parties.^[26][27]

Notes

References