Gender reveal party

"Gender reveal" redirects here. For disclosure of a gender change, see Transgender § Coming out.

A round cake with a white base color decorated with edible circles and ribbons of both pink and blue coloration; an attached note says "Open Me"
An uncut gender reveal cake decorated with pink and blue on a white base, using both pink and blue to represent ambiguity before the reveal
A gender reveal event using blue-colored smoke bombs to represent the expectation of a male child

A gender reveal party is a party held during pregnancy to reveal the baby's sex to the expectant parents' family and friends, and sometimes to the parents themselves. Prenatal sex discernment technology furnishes the necessary information.[1][2] The practice originated in the United States during the late 2000s.[2]

It is distinct from, but sometimes combined with, a baby shower, where the primary activity is giving expecting parents gifts for their future child. The gender reveal party often involves gender stereotypes such as pink and blue denoting girls and boys, respectively.[1][2]

The practice has been criticized for the use of elaborate and dangerous special effects, which have directly contributed to multiple deaths, injuries and large-scale forest fires, namely the 2017 Sawmill Fire and the 2020 El Dorado Fire.[3][4] The practice has also been criticized for reinforcing gender stereotypes and the gender binary.[1][2][5]

  1. ^ a b c Pasche Guignard, Florence (September 2015). "A Gendered Bun in the Oven. The Gender-reveal Party as a New Ritualization during Pregnancy". Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses. 44 (4): 479–500. doi:10.1177/0008429815599802. S2CID 220373650.
  2. ^ a b c d Gieseler, Carly (February 9, 2017). "Gender-reveal parties: performing community identity in pink and blue". Journal of Gender Studies. 27 (6): 661–671. doi:10.1080/09589236.2017.1287066. S2CID 151390917.
  3. ^ Diaz, Andrea (November 28, 2018). "Officials release video from gender reveal party that ignited a 47,000-acre wildfire". CNN. Archived from the original on July 28, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  4. ^ Blunt, Rosie (October 30, 2019). "The dangers – physical and psychological – of gender reveal parties". BBC News. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Severson-2019 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).