'It's not to say that people who have gender-reveal parties are automatically conservative in their thinking around this. 'Having these gender-reveal parties re-emphasizes some of those traditional ways that we think about gender and gender norms,' said Ortiz, who conducts research on sex and gender in the media. Whether consciously or not, Ortiz wondered if gender-reveal parties themselves are a pushback against changing conversations around gender identity.

The mother who's credited with starting the trend in 2008 has since pushed back against the evolution of the parties and their reinforcement of gender binaries. Gender-reveal parties have been criticized for reaffirming gender stereotypes. 'Gender-reveal parties are focused on a lot on color and ornate presentation, things that are almost perfectly translated into the social media space.'Ī gender-reveal post can be a form of 'currency' to help build rapport and cache on social media, Kelli Matthews, a public relations instructor at the University of Oregon's School of Journalism and Communication, told ABC News. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, told ABC News. 'They're these really increasingly Instagrammable-worthy things to be able to put on social media,' Rebecca Ortiz, an assistant professor in the S.I. Gender reveals, from dyed cakes and confetti-filled balloons to the more over-the-top, sometimes destructive stunts, are likely being fueled by several forces - a prime one being social media. Border Patrol agent who shot at a target packed with Tannerite, pleaded guilty in 2018 to federal charges stemming from the fire and was ordered to pay restitution, starting with a $100,000 initial payment and $500 monthly payments after that. In 2017, an explosion set off at a gender-reveal party in Arizona sparked a fire that burned 47,000 acres in the Coronado National Forest and cost over $8 million in damages and in fighting the fire. Last September, a firefighter died while battling a destructive wildfire in Southern California's San Bernardino National Forest caused by a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device used during a gender-reveal photo shoot, authorities said.

Gender reveal death