Every year, it seems to be more and more difficult to believe that gender reveal parties could get any more intense or outrageous than they already are. Many people are somehow finding new and “inventive” ways to try and top past gender reveal ideas, and if we’re being honest, they’re also probably trying to go viral and get their 15 minutes of fame.
The woman who popularized the gender reveal party back in 2008 is calling for an end to the parties after one ignited California’s most recent and destructive wildfire.
Finding out that you’re pregnant and expecting a little bundle of joy is an exciting time for any family.
Many expecting couples feel a mix of anticipation and nervousness as they prepare for one of the biggest changes of their lives.
To mark this new and exciting chapter in their lives, many couples celebrate the upcoming arrival of their baby with a party.
Baby showers hosted by friends and family of the couple are one of the traditional pregnancy milestones. However, another celebration for the expecting couple has taken over social media in the last decade or so: gender reveal parties.
The idea is simple: The couple announces to their family and friends whether their baby will be a boy or a girl.
The couple usually makes this announcement with lots of decorations and a creative way to share the news. Some people cut into a color-coded cake, while others use smoke bombs to share the baby’s gender.
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Overall, the concept of a gender reveal party seems pretty harmless.
However, in an effort to “go viral” on social media, some people have taken these parties too far and have caused mass destruction as a result of their gender reveal.
On September 5, a massive wildfire was ignited after a family used a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device to reveal their baby-to-be’s gender in the El Dorado Ranch Park in Yucaipa, California.
News outlets like CNN have reported that the El Dorado wildfire has spread over 10,000 acres and continues to wreak havoc due to California’s high temperatures.
The woman who popularized gender reveal parties is pleading for people to “stop” throwing these parties, considering how much destruction they’ve caused.
Back in 2017, a similar situation happened in Green Valley, Arizona after an over-the-top display ignited a wildfire that burned over 46,991 acres.
Jenna Karvunidis took to Facebook to address the horrifying scenes.
“Oh my god NO,” she started.
“The fire that evacuated parts of California is from a GENDER REVEAL PARTY.”
“Stop it. Stop having these stupid parties. For the love of God, stop burning things down to tell everyone about your kid’s penis. No one cares but you.”
“It was 116 degrees in Pasadena yesterday and this tool thought it would be smart to light a fire about his kid’s dick. Toxic masculinity is men thinking they need to explode something because simply enjoying a baby party is for sissies.”
Jenna revealed people are holding her accountable and responsible because she created the trend.
“Excuse me for having a cake for my family in 2008. Just because I’m the gEnDeR rEvEaL iNVeNtoR doesn’t mean I think people should burn down their communities,” she said.
She signed off her post with one simple and direct call to action: “STOP.”
Hopefully her post serves as a reflection for those who are considering throwing an over-the-top theatrical gender reveal party.
Online, people have been vocal about the need to end gender reveal parties as well.
Many Twitter users have echoed Jenna’s sentiments that gender reveal parties need to stop, especially when they have proven to be so destructive.
Besides the environmental impacts, others have been calling for an end to these parties because of the complex identities surrounding sex and gender.
Other Twitter users have pointed out that the parties are really revealing the baby’s biological sex, not its gender. This is because some believe that gender is fluid, and can represent an identity created by the individual or societal norms.
For some, the bottom line is that people are tired of these parties.
The gender reveal party trend was already in decline with many people thinking that they were getting too out of hand.
Besides all the issues these parties have caused, at the end of the day, many people still stand by the notion that it doesn’t matter whether the baby is a boy or a girl as long as everyone is healthy.
