View source for Gel bracelet

{{Short description|Type of wristband}}
[[Image:Pulceras.JPG|thumb|right|Flat and round gel bracelets, <br>with braided bracelets <br>and woven bracelets.]]

'''Gel bracelets''' (or '''jelly bracelets''') are a type of [[wristband]] often made from [[silicone]]. 

==Gel bracelets==

Gel bracelets are [[Topologically equivalent|topological]] [[Torus|tori]] usually of rectangular or circular cross-section. They come in a variety of colors and several can be worn on each arm. They have been popular in waves throughout the [[Western world]] and elsewhere since the 1980s.<ref name="snopes">Mikkelson, Barbara (2003). [http://www.snopes.com/risque/school/bracelet.asp "Sex Bracelets"]. snopes.com. Retrieved December 22, 2005.</ref>

== Charity awareness wristbands ==
[[File:I'm with Coco wristband.jpg|alt=|thumb|Livestrong wristbands popularized gel bracelets for charity purposes. This humorous example refers to the [[2010 Tonight Show conflict|2010 ''Tonight Show'' conflict]].]]
The silicone wristband first became popular in 2004 with the [[Livestrong wristband|Livestrong]] yellow band which was set up by American cyclist [[Lance Armstrong]] to raise awareness of [[cancer]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/29/magazine/the-way-we-live-now-8-29-04-consumed-yellow-fever.html|title=THE WAY WE LIVE NOW: 8-29-04: CONSUMED; Yellow Fever|first=Rob|last=Walker|date=2004-08-29|access-date=2020-01-31| work = The New York Times}}</ref>

'''Awareness bracelet''' wristbands carry debossed messages demonstrating the wearer's support of a [[Social movement|cause]] or [[charitable organization]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4220000/newsid_4226500/4226529.stm "What are wristbands about?"] (February 01, 2005). news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved December 2, 2006.</ref><ref name="WearBeliefsOnSleeve">{{cite news|last1=Vande Bundt|first1=Mark|title=Faith strong ; Christians co-opt culture to wear beliefs on sleeves|publisher=[[The Grand Rapids Press]]|date=10 December 2005|id={{ProQuest|286065397}}}}</ref>

A larger, {{convert|1|in|adj=on}} wide variety became more popular in 2007, with musical groups selling the items to young concert fans.  Both the wider and thinner bands are cheap to custom manufacture and as a result have become a popular fundraising tool in America and beyond.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.wristbandbros.com/glossary/gel-wristbands/|title = Gel Wristbands Explained|date = 9 September 2015|access-date = 9 September 2015|website = Wristband Bros|publisher = Sean Mulligan|last = Mulligan|first = Sean}}</ref>

The price of these wristbands varies depending on the particular campaign, but are often $1 or £1 and usually the majority of the money goes towards the charity involved. They are seen by young people as trendier than traditional charity pins which may explain their increase in popularity.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.britishcouncil.org/poland-charity-wristband-trend.htm| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071120053813/http://www.britishcouncil.org/poland-charity-wristband-trend.htm| archive-date = 2007-11-20|access-date=2020-01-31|title=Charity wristband trend|publisher=British Council - Poland | url-status = dead}}</ref>

==Urban legend of sex bracelets==
{{see also|Handkerchief code}}

During a resurgence in popularity in 2003, gel bracelets became the subject of a widespread [[urban legend]] linking them to a supposed sex game explaining their popularity among young teenagers: they were subsequently dubbed "'''sex bracelets'''".<ref name="snopes"/><ref>{{cite news|author=Aguilar, Alexa|author2=Bell, Kaitlin|date=November 18, 2003|url=http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/News/A9286BCB3F0E79D386256DE30017FF18?OpenDocument&Headline=Rumors+link+bracelets+to+sex+game+|title=Rumors Link Bracelets to Sex Game.|work=[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]]|via=HighBeam Research}}{{dead link|date=February 2019|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.today.com/popculture/sex-bracelets-are-they-real-wbna3676755|title=Sex bracelets:are they for real?|website=TODAY.com|access-date=2020-01-30}}</ref><ref name="AP">{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/EDUCATION/12/10/sex.bracelet.ap/|title=Student 'sex bracelets' an urban legend?|date=December 12, 2003|work=[[CNN]]|access-date=February 10, 2006|location=CHICAGO, Illinois|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031220191943/http://www.cnn.com/2003/EDUCATION/12/10/sex.bracelet.ap/|archive-date=December 20, 2003}}</ref> 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 and [[kiss]]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]] that the principal banned the bracelets to avert disruption and inappropriate comments about them.<ref name="Sun">{{cite web|url=http://search.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20031018/LOCAL/210180317&SearchID=73258459105519|title=Principal puts ban on 'sex bracelets'|last=James|first=Douane |date=October 18, 2003|work=[[The Gainesville Sun]]|access-date=September 30, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070307005654/http://search.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20031018%2FLOCAL%2F210180317&SearchID=73258459105519|archive-date=2007-03-07|url-status=dead}}</ref> They were subsequently banned in other schools around Florida and elsewhere.<ref name="snopes"/> 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 something of a [[moral panic]].<ref name="NBC">{{cite web|url=http://www.nbc10.com/family/2649800/detail.html|title='Sex Bracelets' Cause Parental Concern |date=November 20, 2003 |website=NBC 10 |access-date=September 30, 2006 |location=RALEIGH, N.C. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080211223640/http://www.nbc10.com/family/2649800/detail.html|archive-date=February 11, 2008}}</ref><ref name="AP"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/14/are-colored-bracelets-a-code-for-sex/|title=Are Colored Bracelets a Code for Sex?|first=Lisa|last=Belkin|date=2009-09-14|access-date=2020-01-30}}</ref> The supposed meanings of the colours of the bands were reported in the British press in 2005.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1486387/Blair-joins-wristband-celebrities-who-make-charity-cool.html | location=London | work=The Daily Telegraph | first=Sally | last=Pook | title=Blair joins wristband celebrities who make charity cool | date=March 25, 2005}}</ref>

A very similar set of stories surfaced (or re-surfaced) in the British media in 2009, in which the bracelets were allegedly nicknamed ''shag bands''.<ref name="Mirror">{{cite news|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/fury-over-sex-bracelets-sold-420820|title=Fury over 'sex' bracelets sold to school children|last=Stretch|first=Euan|date=25 Sep 2009|work=[[Daily Mirror]]|publisher=mirror.co.uk|access-date=25 Oct 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article6910040.ece|title=Would you let your daughter wear a "shag band"?|last=Midgley|first=Carol|date=10 Nov 2009|work=[[The Times]]|access-date=10 Nov 2009|location=London}}</ref> Similar stories circulated widely in Brazil during the 2009–2010 summer, where the bracelets were referred to as ''pulseiras do sexo''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://g1.globo.com/Noticias/SaoPaulo/0,,MUL1412235-5605,00-PULSEIRA+DO+SEXO+GERA+POLEMICA+ENTRE+PAIS+E+EDUCADORES+EM+SP.html |title='Pulseira do sexo' gera polêmica entre pais e educadores em SP|trans-title='Sex bracelets' generates controversy among parents and educators in São Paulo |author=Paulo Toledo Piza|date=13 December 2009|language=pt|access-date=7 February 2012}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://g1.globo.com/Noticias/Brasil/0,,MUL1552238-5598,00-APOS+TER+PULSEIRA+DO+SEXO+ARRANCADA+ADOLESCENTE+E+ESTUPRADA+EM+LONDRINA.html |title=Após ter 'pulseira do sexo' arrancada, adolescente é estuprada em Londrina |trans-title=After having 'sex bracelet' ripped off, teenager is raped in Londrina |first=Glauco |last=Araújo |date=31 March 2010 |language=pt |access-date=March 15, 2021}}</ref>

Different versions associate different colors with sex acts (similar to the [[handkerchief code]]).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/us/13bracelets.html|title=School Bans Bracelet Used in Sex Game|first=Dan|last=Frosch|date=2009-09-12|access-date=2020-01-30|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref> For example, purple might be associated with kissing, red with [[lap dance|lapdancing]], and black with intercourse.<ref name="AP"/><ref name="NBC"/> Some versions said the involved action occurs at parties held for the purpose, making them similar to contemporary rumors of "[[rainbow party (sexuality)|rainbow parties]]", a gathering at which groups of girls wearing varying shades of [[lipstick]] supposedly take turns [[fellatio|fellating]] their classmates, leaving an array of colors on their penises. Other tales of teenage [[group sex|sex parties]] have circulated at various times. [[Folkloristics|Folklorist]] Barbara Mikkelson of [[snopes|snopes.com]] associates the "sex bracelet" stories with similar ones of the past. In the 1970s, pulltabs from [[beverage can|aluminum cans]] and labels from [[beer bottle]]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.<ref name="snopes"/>

At least one particular type of gel bracelet called the MY Single Band was specifically designed to advertise the wearer's relationship status.<ref name=nydaily>{{cite web|last=Taylor|first=Victoria|title=Will bracelets for singles revolutionize dating?|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/single-band-shows-world-single-article-1.1434446|work=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]|date=22 August 2013|access-date=1 September 2013}}</ref><ref name=time>{{cite web|last=Dockterman|first=Eliana|title=MY Single Band: A Bracelet That Advertises You're Single|url=http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/09/01/wear-your-heart-on-your-sleeve-bracelets-advertise-youre-single/|work=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=1 September 2013|access-date=1 September 2013}}</ref> The response to this bracelet was largely critical, with Natasha Burton of ''[[Cosmopolitan (magazine)|Cosmopolitan]]'' saying she doubted men would look for such a bracelet, given that she was still approached even while wearing her [[engagement ring]].<ref name=cosmo>{{cite web|last=Burton|first=Natasha|title=Would You Wear a Bracelet That Tells Guys You're Single?|date=20 August 2013|url=http://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/news/a15289/my-single-band/|work=[[Cosmopolitan (magazine)|Cosmopolitan]]|access-date=1 September 2013}}</ref> The staff of ''[[Glamour (magazine)|Glamour]]'' were reportedly uncomfortable with the concept,<ref name=glamour>{{cite web |author=Hannah Lyons Powell|title=My Single Band: Will you be wearing your heart on your wrist?|url=http://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/news/features/2013/08/my-single-band-wearing-your-heart-on-your-wrist|work=[[Glamour (magazine)|Glamour]]|date=20 August 2013|access-date=1 September 2013}}</ref> and Eliana Dockterman of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine compared the concept to wearing one's [[OkCupid]] profile on one's [[t-shirt]].<ref name=time/>

[[Image:CFC Loyalty Bracelet.JPG|thumb|[[Countrywide Financial Corporation]]'s [[Loyalty oath]] bracelet,<ref>{{cite web|last=Jayson |first=Seth |url=http://www.fool.com/investing/dividends-income/2007/10/03/countrywides-misguided-pride.aspx |title=Countrywide's Misguided Pride |publisher=[[The Motley Fool]]|date=2007-10-03 |access-date=2013-09-12}}</ref> in 2007, the consequence of not signing a loyalty oath was "lose my job."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bestcashcow.com/stocks_-_options_-_mutual_funds/article/rkagan/protect-our-house-wristband-campaign-shows-the-worst-of-corporate-america |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013034251/http://www.bestcashcow.com/stocks_-_options_-_mutual_funds/article/rkagan/protect-our-house-wristband-campaign-shows-the-worst-of-corporate-america |title='Protect Our House' Wristband Campaign Shows the Worst of Corporate America |date=2007-10-03 |website=Best Cash Cow |archive-date=2007-10-13 |access-date=March 15, 2021 |df=mdy-all}}</ref>|alt=]]

== See also ==
[[Image:Make Poverty History band plastic.jpg|thumb|right|[[Make Poverty History]] white "awareness bracelet"]]
* [[Awareness ribbon]] – developed from 1917 through 1986 to symbolize remembrance of service members and other causes
* [[Gospel bracelet]]
* [[Locket]]s and [[eye miniature]]s – mementos of loved ones c. 1785
**[[Lock of hair]] – memento dating to [[Ancient history|antiquity]]
* [[POW bracelet]] – from 1970 to 1976, engraved with name of an American serviceman captured or missing during the Vietnam War

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4220000/newsid_4226500/4226529.stm Guide to wristbands] ([[CBBC (TV channel)|CBBC]] [[Newsround]])

{{Sexual urban legends}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gel Bracelet}}
[[Category:2010s fashion]]
[[Category:Clothing controversies]]
[[Category:Bracelets]]
[[Category:Sexual urban legends]]
[[Category:1980s fashion]]
[[Category:1990s fads and trends]]
[[Category:2000s fads and trends]]