Wearing Silicone Bracelets Show Support

Almost everyone has seen the thin, flexible bracelets made of silicone, an inexpensive rubber-like material, that are making a major fashion statement with the middle school and early teen group.

These bracelets come in every color and have printing on them identifying specific diseases or social causes.

Like ribbons, the colors of these jelly-like bracelets reveal support for specific issues, such as pink for breast cancer research or yellow for supporting the military’s safe return. The intent is to call attention to a certain issue, disease, or cause. However, as the number of colors used has increased, so has the confusion and the tendency of many to ignore the statement. While it is easy to understand the association of pink to breast cancer and yellow to the military, what does lime green or blue mean?

The interest in these types of bracelets has actually become more of a fashion statement than a social cause or issue statement. To put it simply, they're colorful, easy to care for, and cheap. The kids and young people love them! They're no big deal to obtain, as the cost is so small that you can have lots of them and even losing them all doesn't matter. For 2 bucks, you can get almost any color you wish. The cost goes down even further with larger orders. This means that silicone awareness bracelets are an attractive fundraising product for many schools and nonprofit organizations.

Some middle schools recently banned these colorful adornments because it was rumored that they were used in a game called “snap.” In snap, if a person were able to break the bracelet, the wearer was obligated to perform a sexual act on the one who broke it. Examining this issue rationally, some serious questions arise about banning jewelry because of a rumored game.

First, these bracelets are worn by many students would not even consider playing such a game. Second, if one person destroys the property of another, would he or she be entitled to any benefits? Does it appear that the schools that banned these bracelets overreacted? In one word, yes!

The probable reality is that few kids, if any, were actually playing the game. A better option might have been for the school officials to hold responsible any person who would break or damage someone else's property and require them to replace the property and pay a fine. By placing limits on the few students with inappropriate behavior, the great majority of kids who enjoy wearing these awareness bracelets would have been able to continue enjoying a fun fashion accessory.

If you saw news reports leading you to believe that such a game was the purpose of these bracelets, you’ll be happy to know that reporting sensationalism took the rumor all out of proportion. The reality should not marred by this report, as these bracelets are truly a cheap, fun accessory for young people.