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AIBU?

to think the world does not need 'gender reveal parties'?

281 replies

dreamingbohemian · 04/04/2013 09:21

My cousin, clearly the first woman in the world to ever give birth , has just had something called a gender reveal party.

They went for the scan, then had friends and family around, ramped up the suspense for a couple hours, then she opened a big box of balloons that were.... pink! It's a girl! Awwww.

AIBU to think this is the wankiest thing ever? Or am I a joyless hag?

My family think it's cute so I need you nest of vipers lot to restore my faith in humanity.

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JenaiMorris · 04/04/2013 13:22

Baby showers are lovely. Having a mile long gift list for one isn't, but throwing a party for people who are about to have a baby is sweet.

I kind of had one, in that I had a leaving do at work and they gave me lots of lovely things.

If Pinterest had existed in 2000 there might even have been bunting and a rainbow cake

BlueSuedeStiletto · 04/04/2013 13:23

Yup, 4 parties for the one baby. When they got married, there was also the hen do- which they call a batchelorette party AND a bridal showerm which was essentially another tea party with yet more presents. They also had the rehersal dinner like they do in America 2 days before the wedding.

My conclusion is that as a country, Americans like to celebrate big life events, and are a bit self centred in expecting you to share their joy. But it's ok in a way, as they are more then happy to over-celebrate with you when it's you turn.

However, being VERY British, I mostly just cringed at the public display of tackiness emotion.

BigRedBox · 04/04/2013 13:31

Naff as hell. So self-centred and as loads of others have said, further perpetuates the pink/blue hideousness.

MrsSpagBol · 04/04/2013 13:33

As a cake maker I am ALL for this !!! Bring it on!

Tortington · 04/04/2013 13:33

i'd ay any excuse for a party - but if your preggers and can't drink - i'm not seeing the point tbh

LadyHarrietdeSpook · 04/04/2013 13:37

My crazy Yank cousins just did this. All of my friends are too old for that sort of thing.

Accd to a woman at work, these parties can be coed, with drinking games built around them - I guess not involving the mum. She heard aobut one in Texas where they did this. Stereotypical but true.

I love going: "Gender Reveal Parties: WTF do you reckon this is?" on nights out. It's good value.

What I find unbelieveable is the gene that can find a financial opportunity anywhere, that exists in the US.

soverylucky · 04/04/2013 13:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

JenaiMorris · 04/04/2013 13:46

Self-centred bastards inviting people round for Champagne and cake

WaterfallsOver · 04/04/2013 13:51

I avoid baby showers and would definitely not attend a gender reveal party. Wtf?! Conceited parents to be.

MrsSpagBol · 04/04/2013 13:54

LOL at JenaiMorris

skratta · 04/04/2013 14:01

All of my friends who have given birth in the seven years I have been here in the USA (Cnnecticut) have done this. It's very popular around here, and very 'American' I guess.

Personally, I'd prefer not, but I get cake (with a blue/pink inside, although two of my friends went for green for a boy, yellow for girl!) and it's nice.

Also, I don't seen any problem celebrating (unless it costs me money). My friend gave birth five months ago and had a gender reveal party a week after her scan. We came around, we just had general fun and gave some little cheap presents (baby stuff and maternity and pregnancy stuff) which we'd have given away, watched a movie, and our kids all played around (and my teens watched, bored) and we got a cake which was beautiful (in the shape of a rainbow and iced prefetch as one...she designs and makes cakes for a living...) and we got a pink inside.

Personally, I wouldn't have it but it was just a nice celebration for an excited first time mum? I think Americans tend to celebrate little things more (which is overwhelming for a humble Swede like me!) but the gender CAN be a big thing for a parent and they want to share it with us. A wedding us about, firstly, getting married, but you invite guests to share your happiness too.

I am happy for my friend when they have babies, I am happy that they are excited to know the gender. All the ones I have been too are like a normal group of friends coming over with kids, the kids play/moan/teens play on IPad and watch TV and MIGHT talk a bit, we chat together and talk, and we have some nice food together like normal, only difference is that we have a dessert which tells us something very exciting.

Personally, I have always gone 'oh, we had our scan, we'll be having a girl...at least we can reuse the old stuff from the DDs...' because I'd like to tel my friends (because they ask me questions and I ask them questions because we are friends and interested n each other) but no big deal tbh.

But some people like it. As long as they don't g overthetop, or mean I lose money, then it's fine.

It was also useful as it gave us a chance to get some baby things together beforehand so she didn't have random friends coming at random times to give random gifts just before or after the birth.

I agree it might seem showy offy but this was the only thing. None of my friends had baby showers, all of them were generally not over the tip or anything, it was just a day to celebrate them and their pregnancy and a chance fr them tell us news which is important to them.

skratta · 04/04/2013 14:03

Before anyone says anything- I had NO Gender reveal party, no baby shower, when I got married our hen do was a night as friends with an Indian take away and I really hate celebrating stuff (I am quite introverted) so it seemed very odd to have gender parties but seems normal over here?

skratta · 04/04/2013 14:05

And sorry, replace gender with sex in my posts (I know they are different things. So sorry about that, just posting too quickly).

MsJupiterJones · 04/04/2013 14:29

I am not a fan of these reveal parties, and would prefer the sex of my baby not to have been a massive issue, so we didn't tell anyone. Not in a na-na-we're-not-telling way, just said, it's a surprise. For those saying no-one cares, you're wrong. It's the first thing anyone asks and they don't let it go.

One of my favourite questions was, but how will you know whether to paint the nursery pink or blue? Er... it's white.

If we are lucky enough to win a 2nd then I'll just tell people, less hassle. Probably not with a cake or exploding balloon though.

Birdsgottafly · 04/04/2013 14:35

Tbh, I think any excuse to have a party with family and friends, that you like, is a good thing. Likewise if you are involved in the lives of your friends, it does matter that they are having babies and you see it as a cause for celebration. It is exciting, finding out the gender, it doesn't matter, as such. Too many posters on here seem not to like the people that they mix with, I don't get this, at all. What I would say is only have relationships with people who you value and care for and these problems don't exist, because your happy to go with the flow and turn up to anything as long as everyone is there.

dreamingbohemian · 04/04/2013 14:35

skratta, I don't even know what to think about your friends doing yellow/green cake filling.

On the one hand, yay for them for not conforming to blue-pink madness.

On the other, a gender reveal party seems even more pointless when people have to ask what the revealed colour means.

Sorry, maybe I'm catching the humbugness

OP posts:

crashdoll · 04/04/2013 14:38

I can kind-of go with baby showers (although I hate the term) but gender reveal parties?? YAsoooooNBU!

MiniEggsJumpedInMyBasket · 04/04/2013 14:39

How ridiculous! Very wanky!

dreamingbohemian · 04/04/2013 14:42

That's a very reasonable point, Birds.

I do think though that it's possible to love people, love spending time with them, and still sometimes think they've just gone a bridge too far.

I would never say anything to my cousin or ruin her fun, I just wanted to know if I was a big ole grump for thinking it's a ridiculous concept.

OP posts:

soverylucky · 04/04/2013 14:49

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

xigris · 04/04/2013 14:50

Wanky. If ever I'm invited to then I might have to dust off the cuntbunting. My friends organised a baby shower for me. With naked waiters. Was fabulous and really just an excuse for a piss up joyful celebration of new life [disclaimer: they had the wine and gin. I had orange juice]

xigris · 04/04/2013 14:51

X posted soverylucky very sorry for your loss

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soverylucky · 04/04/2013 14:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

dreamingbohemian · 04/04/2013 14:59

I'm sorry for your loss sovery -- I should have said that earlier to the other posters who shared their losses, I'm sorry.

Tbh this is a big reason I didn't have a baby shower myself, I felt to be pregnant at all was a bit of a miracle and I didn't want to tempt fate any more than I was already.

OP posts:

thezebrawearspurple · 04/04/2013 15:05

Any excuse for a party I suppose

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