Baby showers have been prominent among mothers-to-be in the United States for years. As can be seen on Pinterest, a popular media site, the practices of baby showers (invitations, guests, gifts, etc.) have recently been introduced to a phenomenon known as a gender reveal party. Using a chi-square analysis and a feminist political economy analysis, this study uses data from Pinterest to examine how pregnancy culture in the United States influences a commodified version of the gender binary. This mixed-methods study found a significant relationship with pink or blue being clearly defined among pins. These findings suggest that the baby shower has been re-appropriated to reflect specific representations of gender, using a popular social media tool as its vehicle for the message. The representations of a gender reveal party on Pinterest show that a neo-liberal feminist subject is present, whereby other categories important for feminists become neglected.
Key words: Pinterest, communications, social media, baby showers, gender, commodification
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