In a move to sidestep potential harassment and inappropriate sexual behavior and dialogue, school officials at Mueller Park Junior High in Bountiful banned jelly bracelets after hearing they may possibly be used in a new sex game.
Snap, the name of the game, achieved widespread knowledge when Time Magazine published a blurb at the end of October warning parents about it sweeping the country.
Its premise could be compared to the old school game of spin the bottle, only it's a little more involved and risqu. To play it, a boy pulls a rubbery bracelet off a girl's wrist and, depending on the color of the bracelet, the girl owes him a sex favor. Example: Yellow means a hug, purple means a kiss, red means a lap dance and it escalates from there.
The rainbow colored bracelets were popular in the late '80s and made a comeback recently, being seen on the wrists of celebrities such as Avril Lavigne and Pink.
Chris Williams, spokesman for Davis School District, said the ban on the bracelets is not proof that this sort of game was actually going on in the school. However, Mueller Park's principal Doug Beer said there were a few "incidents."
Williams said when Beer announced the bracelet ban he didn't mention them having any sexual connotations, but only that they had specific meanings.
"It's an unfortunate situation because many thought the ideas behind (the bracelets) were innocent," said Williams. "But it's all in perception, and perception is reality."
A recent Chicago Tribune article, however, said that attempts to find even one teenager in the Chicago area who could verify the trend "turned up only hoots of derision and more than a few 'yucks.' "
Urban legend? Well, maybe, according to an urban legends Web site, snopes.com, which failed in attempts to find or hear of an incident where the game was actually played. But Mueller Park is not alone in banning the bracelets. Pockets of schools have prohibited them across the country.
"Everyone would like to think that a junior high kid wouldn't succumb to a game like that," Williams said. "But if there is a chance that something like that might be going on, we need to prevent it."
E-MAIL: terickson@desnews.com