Question

Do you think that gender reveal parties are problematic, since they are reinforcing stereotypes and assuming traits/roles on the child before they are even born?

Do you agree with Butler's view on gender? That gender is not something "one is", but something "one does"?

Answer 1

Yes,I agree with Butler's view of point.

Gender Reveal party:

Celebrated at an earlier stage in pregnancy than a baby shower, a gender reveal party announces whether expectant parents will be giving birth to a boy or a girl.

When people say they are having a gender reveal party for a baby on the way, what they are really referring to is the sex assigned at birth. The sex assigned at birth is based on visible genitalia and is generally female, male, or intersex. The presence of specific genitalia has nothing to do with gender.

In other words, the presence of specific genitalia, or the sex of your baby, does not determine who they will be as a person, and it does not define your child'sgender.

As your child grows, they will inherently know who they are.

Stereotypes and Assuming traits/roles:

It has to do with the fact that you should let your child discover who they are on their own without making them feel that any which way is the norm and what is expected of them. You couldn't possibly know what a child’s gender is before they are born and have the chance to figure this out on their own. You can only know the sex of the baby and that does not definitively indicate anything.

There is no need to reinforce gender stereotypes. If your child’s sex is female, it does not mean that she will love pink and dolls and have long hair and wear bows. If your child’s sex is male, it does not mean that he will love blue and trucks and have short hair and never wear a dress. Yes, you can absolutely wind up with a child whose gender matches her sex, and maybe she chooses a gender expression that completely matches up with gender stereotypes, but that does not mean it is the norm or what you can and should count on.The best gift that we can give our babies is an open mind and heart and chance to be whoever they want to be.

A gender reveal party doesn’t lay the groundwork for this kind of openness. There is so very much to be excited about with a baby on the way.

Coined "intensiveparenting", parenthood today is an expensive, child-centered, and time-consuming enterprise that leaves many parents, especially mothers, in constant need to demonstrate their qualities as a parent to themselves, and also others.

The gender reveal party is an extension of this larger trend showing that intensive parenting begins before children are born.

Case Studies:

How Many People Have to Die Before We’re Done With Gender Reveals?

A gender reveal explosion in Arizona that sparked a 47k acre fire in 2017.

Flash forward to 2019, and gender reveals have been at the center of a wildfire, the death of a soon-to-be grandmother and a plane crash.