In the article, “Abandon Your Tedious Search,” Karen Bornstein talks about the “rules of gender” and how they affect society and the way people think of gender. The first rule mentions soon-to-be parents being asked the gender of their unborn child and this made me think of the gender reveal parties that seem to be more and more popular with new parents. If you don’t know what these are, they are parties held by the parents with their friends and family and sometimes involves boxes full of pink or blue balloons being opened or a white cake being cut to show either blue or pink inside.
I hate these parties, honestly. Because not only does it seem like just another way for people to get more attention (baby showers are already a thing) they are also always chock full of gender stereotypes and harmful gender roles. First of all, the color choices are stereotyped--pink for a girl and blue for a boy. A lot of the games played at these parties are also stereotypical. Ones like “Sports or Sparkles” or “Boots or Ballet” or even “Rifles or Ruffles.” These parties just show how people see gender and how they think boys and girls should act or what they should be interested in. It seems like they cannot just be happy with a healthy baby, they have to know if they should put the baby in blue or pink or decorate the nursery with ribbons and bows or sports equipment. They also equate gender with biological sex, which isn't correct, and I feel these parties are just another way that gender roles have become a part of society. An unfortunate part but a part nonetheless.
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