Bracelet in silicone

Bracelets in silicone are a new type of product and advertising. They are a new type of communication that is less expensive and more easily diffused.

It was Lance Armstrong who launched the first bracelet in silicone: it was red and showed that he participated in the fight against cancer.

The silicone bracelet is a sort of a symbol of affiliation to a group as each color has a specific significance:

-         red: medical or humanitarian cause

-         green: ecological cause

-         white: peace in the world

-         black: blind people

-         and so on.

These bracelets are an original way of attracting the attention to a cause, as well as to a product or service: many companies use them in their own promotions, such as BMW, Renault, Mini and the Army.

But their original purpose has been distorted in playgrounds. 

There, each bracelet has its own signification too but less nice:

-         yellow = a kiss

-         green = a hickey

-         black = a sex act

If someone unfastens a bracelet on someone else’s arm, the one who was wearing it must do one of these things.

These bracelets are called “friendship bracelets” have been transformed to “sex bracelets”.  

They were banned in Brazil last year following the rape of a teenage girl and the death of two others.

The problem is not whether one wears a silicone bracelet or not, it is the meaning that we give them that is important, and furthermore the meaning they have for others.