And what do public schools that have the ridiculous party invitation policy have to say about this, I wonder? (If you're out of the loop on the invitation rules, scroll back about three 'blog entries.)
Rainbow parties.
They sound like fun, don't they? Visions of little kids dressed up in colorful costumes with bright decorations and songs about fairies, gnomes, woodland life and animals may come to mind.
Set that precious vision aside and prepare to be disgusted. I tell you the following not to dwell gleefully on the foulness that has entrenched itself in our culture but to warn you if you are out of the loop -- as I was until just recently.
It turns out that rainbow parties are, frankly, oral sex contests in which girls wear various colors of lipstick that leave traces on their male partners. The guy with the most complete rainbow is, what? The winner? The top dog? It's a tough call.
I wouldn't have known about this except that an online community chat group to which I belong featured a warning post from a mother of a 12 year old girl. Her daughter asked her what a "rainbow party" was and the woman, who apparently paid attention when this middle school/high school phenomenon first surfaced, knew the answer but had to struggle to come up with an age appropriate explanation.
Very awkward, wouldn't you say?
I googled the subject and was surprised to find that yet another trashy tome had escaped my radar about three years ago. "Rainbow Party" is geared towards a "young adult" audience (14 and up) and was published by Simon and Schuster's Children's Publishing (emphasis mine).
The book's cover features a set of brightly colored lipsticks and according to author Paul Ruditis explores the oral sex orgy concept in an effort to warn readers to stay away from it. Barnes and Noble.com carries a synopsis from Publisher's Weekly. See what you think:
Promiscuous sophomore Gin is throwing a "Rainbow Party," at which girls "put on a different color lipstick, and the guys all drop their pants." In theory, after the girls perform oral sex on the boys, they would be left with rainbows around their penises. The author takes the perspective of Gin and her invitees in the hours before her after-school party. They all have reasons for going (Sandy hopes to find love, virgin Brick is being pressured by his friend to gain sexual experience, and there are rumors that Perry is gay)-and their own anxieties, too. This debut novel takes a steamy premise, and adds in plenty of racy material, too, including oral sex between two boys in a school bathroom, but while the author makes a compelling argument against abstinence-only education and also against limited definitions of sex, readers may tire of the standard-issue characters. They may also start to cringe every time a character talks about oral sex not really being sex. There is some important information to be gleaned here (Gin and Perry have mysterious sore throats, and Hunter notices a "burning sensation" when he urinates; later they learn of a gonorrhea outbreak among the sophomore class), but in the end, the story here is not as compelling as its premise. Ages 14-up. (June) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Okay, so we'll titillate to discourage, is that it?
Right.
The book was so controversial that some stores elected to not carry it. Others did, but only because they fullly understood the maxim that "sex sells" and when it targets young people it sells even more.
It begs the question: Did the practice become so popular in the years after Bill Clinton's tacky affair made headlines that it spawned the book or did the book inspire young people everywhere to discard whatever common sense and moral compass they might have had?
Either way, some kid in my community is supposedly planning to host one of these parties.
Evil roams around looking to devour our children's hearts and minds. Lock your doors.
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