Why Do Teenagers Wear Rubber Bands on Their Wrists?

Teenage fashion trends are frequently baffling to parents and other people from older generations. One example of this is the popularity of rubber wrist bands. To some people, it looks like teenagers are just wearing colorful rubber bands on their arms. In fact, these are not rubber bands, but rubber bracelets, and they can have a variety of meanings.

Purpose

Rubber bracelets, also called gel bracelets, have become popular with Western teenagers in recent years. They are made of silicone and come in an assortment of colors. There is usually a word or phrase debossed, or imprinted, on the band. These bracelets can express anything, such as school spirit, religious affiliation, solidarity with certain causes, and support for charities. Some charities and organizations sell their own rubber bracelets, but there are multiple websites that will custom make wristbands with any message desired.

Events

One popular use of custom rubber wristbands is as a give-away for attending an event. For example, a high school may make rubber wristbands imprinted with a graduation date or school name, and give them as a gift to all seniors who attend graduation ceremonies. Certain church retreats, camps, or concerts may give wristbands debossed with Biblical verses or event names to the young people who participate in such activities. In this case, the wristbands become nostalgic items, and they display a subject of interest for the teenager wearing them.

Fundraising and Advertising

Customized rubber wristbands are an inexpensive investment to use for fundraising purposes. A student-led organization might have wristbands made with their club's name on them. These customized bands could then be sold to members and supporters to raise money for the group. Companies sometimes choose to make wristbands with the company name, and then give them away at events in the community to increase their visibility and attract more potential customers. This advertisement tactic is especially effective if teenagers are the target audience of the company.

Charities

Many different charities make their own rubber bracelets and donate the profits to their cause. Different colored wristbands are associated with different charities and causes. For example, charities that support breast cancer research sell pink wristbands. The organization Make Poverty History, which works to eradicate world poverty, sells white wrist bands. Charities that support AIDS research use red as the color for their wristbands. The original charity to use a wristband is Lance Armstrong's Livestrong organization, which uses yellow wristbands to signify support for cancer awareness. In the case of rubber bracelets supporting charities and causes, these bands are similar to ribbon-shaped car magnets, and the colors usually correspond.

Rumors

When these rubber wrist bands first became popular in the early part of the decade, there were rumors that suggested these bracelets might mean more that just support for a charity or club. Supposedly these wrist bands were a symbol or promiscuity and impurity. Different colors represented the different intimate acts a teenage girl was willing to perform with a partner. This association of rubber wrist bands with teenage relationships is an urban legend. There is little evidence to support the assertion, especially since schools, clubs and official charities sell the wristbands, and the Livestrong charity was the first to popularize the trend. These bracelets, which look like simple rubber bands, are a way for teens to connect with each other over shared interests, experiences, and ideals, and to express support for certain charitable causes.

References

• Wristbands With A Message
• History of Wristbands

Resources

• Customizable Wristbands