Rainbow party (sexuality)

A rainbow party is purportedly a group sex event involving oral sex and the subject of an urban legend. At these parties, said to be increasingly popular among adolescents, girls wearing various shades of lipstick supposedly take turns fellating boys in sequence, leaving behind a "rainbow" of colors on their penises. The idea was first publicized by Oprah Winfrey's talk show in 2003. Deborah Tolman, director of the Center for Research on Gender and Sexuality at San Francisco State University writes: "This 'phenomenon' has all the classic hallmarks of a moral panic… One day we have never heard of rainbow parties and then suddenly they are everywhere, feeding on adults' fears that morally-bankrupt sexuality among teens is rampant, despite any actual evidence, as well as evidence to the contrary." [Lewin, Tamar (June 30, 2005). [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/30/fashion/thursdaystyles/30rainbow.html?ex=1157774400&en=ac7b855f4b419e84&ei=5070 Are These Parties for Real?] "The New York Times".]

Oprah Winfrey Show

The rainbow party was first publicized in October 2003 on the "Oprah" episode "Is Your Child Leading a Double Life?", which was about the perceived trend of increasing sexual promiscuity among American youth and the lack of parental awareness of the sexual practices of their children. [ [http://www.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200310/tows_past_20031002.jhtml "Oprah Winfrey Show": "Is Your Child Leading a Double Life?"] ] One guest on the show, who claimed to be aware of teenagers' sexual habits, claimed, among other things, that many teens across the United States engage in "rainbow parties." According to the report, teenage girls enjoy the competitive aspect of the event by using the lipstick to "mark" the depth of oral penetration, treating the sex play as a contest of sorts.

Book

"Rainbow Party" is also a novel commissioned by a Simon & Schuster editor to "scare" kids.cite news| publisher=USA Today | date= 2005-05-22 | title= Controversy colors teen book | author=Carol Memmott | url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2005-05-22-rainbow-usat_x.htm] The author was Paul Ruditis. The book, which Library Journal declined to review, is about teens who fantasize about having a rainbow party.

The book proved controversial, as it was meant for teenagers (recommended by the publisher for ages 14 and up), thus raising questions about its propriety. In turn, concerns were raised that excluding the book from bookstores and libraries would amount to censorship. The publishers justified "Rainbow Party" on the grounds that it was a cautionary tale intended to teach readers that oral sex can be dangerous.

ee also

*Sex party
*Group sex
*Deviancy amplification spiral

Notes

References

* Paul Ruditis. "Rainbow Party". Simon & Schuster. ISBN 1-4169-0235-X.