Gel bracelets (orjelly bracelets) are a type ofwristband often made fromsilicone.
Gel bracelets usually have a rectangular or circular cross-section. They are stretchy and come in a variety of colors.[1] They have been popular in waves throughout theWestern world and elsewhere since the 1980s.[2]
Awareness bracelet wristbands carry messages demonstrating the wearer's support of acause orcharitable organization.[3][4] The silicone wristband first became popular in 2004 with theLivestrong yellow band which was set up by American cyclistLance Armstrong to raise awareness ofcancer.[5] Subsequently, a larger, 1-inch (25 mm) wide variety became more popular in 2007, with musical groups selling them to young concert fans.
The wristbands are often seen by young people as trendier than traditional charity pins. The wristbands have also become a popular tool used in fundraising, as both the wider and thinner bands are cheap to custom manufacture.[6][7] The price of these wristbands varies depending on the particular campaign but is often $1 or £1, and the majority of the money usually goes towards the charity or cause involved.
During a resurgence in popularity in 2003, gel bracelets became the subject of a widespreadurban legend linking them to a supposed sex game, explaining their popularity among young teenagers. They were subsequently dubbed "sex bracelets".[2][8][9][10] Different colors of bracelet supposedly represented different sex acts, indicating either that that wearer had performed or was willing to perform them. In the most common version of the legend, the wearer would perform the indicated sex act with anyone who was able to break a bracelet they were wearing.[11] The legend became popular in 2003 in the US; by the end of the decade, when there was a second wave of media coverage of the legend, it had spread worldwide.[12]
The sex bracelet urban legend can be traced back to the fall of 2003. An entry for "shag band" was posted toUrban Dictionary in September; by October newspapers in North Carolina and Florida reported on schools banning the bracelets, andTime magazine ran an article on the bracelets.[13] In October 2003, the rumors were prominent enough in Alachua Elementary School inGainesville, Florida that the principal banned the bracelets to avert disruption and inappropriate comments about them.[14] They were subsequently banned in other schools in Florida and elsewhere.[2] The effectors of these early bans did not insinuate that the rumors were true; however, some later media reports suggested that they may have been generating amoral panic.[15][10][16] The British press reported on the supposed meanings of the band's colors in 2005.[17]
Similar stories surfaced in the British media in 2009, in which the bracelets were allegedly nicknamedshag bands.[20][21] Similar stories circulated widely in Brazil during the 2009/2010 summer, where the bracelets were referred to aspulseiras do sexo.[22] In March 2010, a 13-year-old girl in Brazil was raped by three teenage boys after one of them snatched the bracelet she was wearing. The police stated that the crime was motivated by the use of sex bracelets.[23]
Different versions of the legend associate different colors with sexual acts (similar to thehandkerchief code).[24] For example, purple might be associated with kissing, red withlap dancing, and black with intercourse.[10][15] The associations between colors and sex acts varied between reports. The sociologists Joel Best and Kathleen Bogle found 193 different lists of colour–sex act associations, which included 48 different colours. Some colors enjoyed relatively wide agreement as to their supposed meanings: Bogle and Best found that black was almost always associated with sexual intercourse; on the other hand though cunnilingus was the most common act associated with the color green, fewer than half of the sources which included green assigned it this meaning.[25]
Some versions say the sexual activity occurred at parties held for the purpose, making them similar to contemporary rumors of "rainbow parties", a gathering where girls wearing varying shades oflipstick supposedly take turnsfellating their male counterparts, leaving an array of colors on their penises. Other tales of teenagesex parties have circulated at various times.Folklorist Barbara Mikkelson ofsnopes.com associates the "sex bracelet" stories with similar ones of the past. In the 1970s, pull tabs fromaluminum cans and labels frombeer bottles were supposedly considered "sex coupons" and obligated any girl presented with one to sleep with the bearer. By the 1990s, the rumors shifted to include an assortment of plastic items, including some worn as bracelets.[2] Best and Bogle suggest a parallel to the gamekiss chase.[26] According to Mikkelson, there is likely little truth behind the stories, and the vast majority of teenagers who contact her site express shock and disappointment that so many have believed them.[2]
At least one type of gel bracelet called the MY Single Band was specifically designed to advertise the wearer's relationship status.[27][28] The response to this bracelet was largely critical, with Natasha Burton ofCosmopolitan saying she doubted men would look for such a bracelet given that she was still approached even while wearing herengagement ring.[29] The staff ofGlamour were reportedly uncomfortable with the concept,[30] and Eliana Dockterman ofTime magazine even compared it to wearing one'sOkCupid profile on theirT-shirt.[28]