Gel bracelets (or jelly bracelets) are a type of

wristband Wristbands are encircling strips worn on the wrist or lower forearm. The term can be used to refer to a bracelet-like band, similar to that of a wristwatch, to the cuff or other part of a sleeve that covers the wrist, or decorative or function ...

often made from silicone.

Gel bracelets

Gel bracelets usually have a rectangular or circular cross-section. They are stretchy and come in a variety of colors. They have been popular in waves throughout the

Western world The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to the various nations and states in the regions of Europe, North America, and Oceania.

and elsewhere since the 1980s.Mikkelson, Barbara (2003)
"Sex Bracelets"
snopes.com. Retrieved December 22, 2005.

Charity awareness wristbands

Awareness bracelet wristbands carry messages demonstrating the wearer's support of a cause or

charitable organization A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ...

. The silicone wristband first became popular in 2004 with the Livestrong yellow band which was set up by American cyclist

Lance Armstrong Lance Edward Armstrong ('' né'' Gunderson; born September 18, 1971) is an American former professional road racing cyclist. Regarded as a sports icon for winning the Tour de France seven consecutive times from 1999 to 2005 after recovering ...

to raise awareness of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bl ...

. Subsequently, a larger, 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. 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.

Urban legend of sex bracelets

During a resurgence in popularity in 2003, gel bracelets became the subject of a widespread

urban legend An urban legend (sometimes contemporary legend, modern legend, urban myth, or urban tale) is a genre of folklore comprising stories or fallacious claims circulated as true, especially as having happened to a "friend of a friend" or a family m ...

linking them to a supposed sex game, explaining their popularity among young teenagers. They were subsequently dubbed "sex bracelets." According to rumors, people who wore the jewelry implied they were willing to engage in various acts with whoever pulled them from their wrists. The acts ranged from hugging to

kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

ing to sexual intercourse and were determined by the bracelet's color. In October 2003, the rumors were prominent enough in Alachua Elementary School in

Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, and the largest city in North Central Florida, with a population of 141,085 in 2020. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, which had a population of 339,247 in ...

that the principal banned the bracelets to avert disruption and inappropriate comments about them. They were subsequently banned in other schools in Florida and elsewhere. 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 a

moral panic A moral panic is a widespread feeling of fear, often an irrational one, that some evil person or thing threatens the values, interests, or well-being of a community or society. It is "the process of arousing social concern over an issue", usua ...

. The British press reported on the supposed meanings of the band's colors in 2005. A very similar set of stories surfaced in the British media in 2009, in which the bracelets were allegedly nicknamed ''shag bands''. Similar stories circulated widely in Brazil during the 2009/2010 summer, where the bracelets were referred to as ''pulseiras do sexo''. 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. Different versions of the legend associate different colors with sexual acts (similar to the handkerchief code). For example, purple might be associated with kissing, red with lap dancing, and black with intercourse. 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 of

lipstick Lipstick is a cosmetic product used to apply coloration and texture to lips, often made of wax and oil. Different pigments are used to produce color, and minerals such as silica may be used to provide texture. The use of lipstick dates bac ...

supposedly take turns fellating their male counterparts, leaving an array of colors on their penises. Other tales of teenage

sex parties Group sex is sexual behavior involving more than two participants. Participants in group sex can be of any sexual orientation or gender. Any form of sexual activity can be adopted to involve more than two participants, but some forms have t ...

have circulated at various times.

Folklorist Folklore studies, less often known as folkloristics, and occasionally tradition studies or folk life studies in the United Kingdom, is the branch of anthropology devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currenc ...

Barbara Mikkelson of snopes.com associates the "sex bracelet" stories with similar ones of the past. In the 1970s, pull tabs from aluminum cans and labels from

beer bottle A beer bottle is a bottle designed as a container for beer. Such designs vary greatly in size and shape, but the glass commonly is brown or green to reduce spoilage from light, especially ultraviolet. The most widely established alternatives t ...

s 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. 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. At least one particular type of gel bracelet called the MY Single Band was specifically designed to advertise the wearer's relationship status. The response to this bracelet was largely critical, with Natasha Burton of '' Cosmopolitan'' saying she doubted men would look for such a bracelet given that she was still approached even while wearing her

engagement ring An engagement ring, also known as a betrothal ring, is a ring indicating that the person wearing it is engaged to be married, especially in Western cultures. A ring is presented as an engagement gift by a partner to their prospective spouse whe ...

. The staff of '' Glamour'' were reportedly uncomfortable with the concept, and Eliana Dockterman of ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, t ...

'' magazine even compared it to wearing one's OkCupid profile on their

T-shirt A T-shirt (also spelled tee shirt), or tee, is a style of fabric shirt named after the T shape of its body and sleeves. Traditionally, it has short sleeves and a round neckline, known as a '' crew neck'', which lacks a collar. T-shirts are genera ...

Notes

References

External links

Guide to wristbands
(

CBBC CBBC (initialised as Children's BBC and also known as the CBBC Channel) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the bran ...

Newsround ''Newsround'' (stylised as ''newsround'', and originally called ''John Craven's Newsround'' before his departure in 1989) is a BBC children's news programme, which has run continuously since 4 April 1972. It was one of the world's first tele ...