There are many ways to throw a gender reveal party, but leaving a mess behind in a public space isn’t one of them.
Caroline Haggerty, who goes by u/PaleBlueDotEnthused on Reddit, recently shared two photos of a patch of grass outside Sloan’s Lake in Denver, Colorado, covered in plastic blue confetti.
She told Newsweek that the aftermath of the celebration “ruined the scenery.”
Indeed, the photos, highlighting the plastic pollution, have riled up the internet, with the post racking up an astounding 57,000 upvotes in just three days (as of November 19).
Haggerty, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, told Newsweek that she was visiting her partner, and the two enjoy visiting the biggest lake in Denver daily.
“On Monday morning, we were angry and disappointed,” she said. “We tried to remove as much as we could, but some had blown away, making it impossible to collect it all.”
According to 2018 data from YouGov Omnibus, more than one-third (35 percent) of 1,223 Americans believe gender reveal parties are “unnecessary.” Additionally, 30 percent describe them as “trendy,” 28 percent as “silly,” and another 28 percent as a “fad.”
Reddit users shared their views on the celebration, branding such parties as “disgustingly vapid,” “ridiculous,” and “moronic.”
“Gender reveal parties are just stupid,” one user commented.
While Haggerty has nothing against the parties themselves, she advises expecting couples to be more mindful. She said: “If you’re going to do a gender reveal that leaves plastic confetti pieces, do it in your own yard or home!”
The viral post has garnered 1,600 comments, with the top comment earning 7,400 upvotes.
The comment read: “Cleaning up after other people’s ‘celebrations’ is a whole new level of frustrating,” to which Haggerty responded: “My boyfriend and I were on our way to a hiking trail, stopped here to sit and enjoy the view, immediately spotted the mess, and tried to clean it up, but we hardly made a dent after 10 minutes. We’re coming back with trash bags.”
Another user praised her efforts: “That’s really kind of you guys.” As someone else said: “this earth belongs to us all. You’re showing that you respect everyone. Thank you.”
“It’s really disappointing when people disrespect public spaces like that. Clean up after yourselves—it’s the least you can do for the environment and others who enjoy the area,” added another commenter.
While confetti may be a popular choice for gender reveals, there are plenty of alternatives that require minimal cleanup. Options like cutting into a cake, using smoke cannons, or wearing a gender reveal shirt provide fun and mess-free ways to share the news.
