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Why Are People Blowing Themselves Up Over Fetus Genitals?
Explosive ‘gender reveal parties’ are the ‘rolling coal’ of cis-heteronormativity.
Like so many 21st century trends, the practice of throwing a party to announce what kind of genitals your baby is going to have was made possible by technology.
The first technology behind the trend is the ultrasound, a 20th century sonic imaging technique that makes it possible to peer into the womb and determine, among other things, the general shape of Baby’s swimsuit area. The second technology behind so-called “gender reveal parties”—more accurately termed “genital announcement spectacles,” as a fuzzy shape on an ultrasound is not a “gender”—is the internet, especially social media, which has made it possible for especially theatrical reveals to rack up ‘likes’ and shares.
In July 2008, blogger Jenna Karvunidis baked a cake whose icing concealed a pink interior, generating the world’s first viral “gender reveal” party. (Despite the misnomer, I am using this term because this is what the people throwing these parties call them.) Over the last several years, this trend has blossomed into a cottage industry, where expectant parents aim to outdo each other on social media by staging elaborate spectacles—often incorporating improvised explosive devices that send pink or blue powder billowing into the heavens. In…
