The millennial lovechild of Diana Ross and Rick Roll, the service was inundated with demand within hours of launching; completely unprepared for the draw his sort-of joke would have for a fundamentally vengeful humanity, Carpenter lasted four days before posting a fed-up message asking users to stop ordering his "horrible glitter product" because he couldn't keep up with demand.
Or that's how the story went, anyway. As the Guardian points out , "[t]he site gained fame, in part, because of its tone. Ship Your Enemies Glitter was a win-win for a generation that can't decide whether irony is a viable method of critique or evil: It was a way to do something mean without doing anything harmful, a virtual joke with an IRL punch line. After the successful sale, however, Carpenter revealed the website and its insane popularity were an exercise in viral marketing.
Exposing the whole thing as an elaborate ploy seems disappointing initially, but actually, Ship Your Enemies Glitter was only a hoax inasmuch as all vaguely classified "business" is a hoax: Regardless of his intentions, Carpenter took orders, filled a lot of them, made a statement about how he couldn't keep up with demand, and pushed it off onto someone who could, for profit.
As we also saw in the Hypothetical scenario , what makes glitter annoying—it transfers and sticks easily; it's flamboyant—is also what makes it powerful.
However, the glaring symbolism of glitter bombs is both their selling point and their downfall: become stale and impotent as a force for statement-making in this great twenty-first century.
The "original glitter bomber" Nick Espinosa, who set the trend by showering Newt Gingrich with a Cheez-It box full of sparkle at a event opposing gay marriage, explained why he did it :. What I have tried to do with creative forms of protest like glittering is to capture people's imagination and tap into a cultural point of reference with a piece of political theater projected into the real world. By creating a moment of conflict I shine a light onto the hypocrisy and bigotry of our current political discourse in a way that is as entertaining as it is dramatic.
This being exciting both as spectacle and as philosophical fuck-you, glitter bombing Republican candidates became the hottest protest tactic of the presidential election , and beyond. Noted assholes Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney got it more than once; Tim Pawlenty was covered in hot pink confetti and feathers at a book signing; Karl Rove also mistakenly held a book signing; Michelle Bachmann's attempted glittering by the activist group GetEQUAL was unfortunately lame, and kind of just made her look pretty, but then activists stormed her and her husband's stop-being-gay!
Activists have not limited themselves to the merely abhorrently anti-gay, either: Dan Savage and Germaine Greer have been glitter bombed for being transphobic, among other offenses, and Lindsay Lohan was targeted for apparently no reason as she made her hour-late way to a hearing at the Los Angeles Superior Court, which is sad and mean. Espinosa said he liked using glitter because it is "harmless," but it is certainly not to the ego, which is why it's gone from a fun thing to do to a serious offense.
Assholes Gingrich and Huckabee argued glitter bombs should constitute "assault," and while this is obviously stupid, even acknowledging that glitter can scratch your corneas if it gets in your eyes, a University of Colorado-Denver student who attempted to glitter Romney in was arrested and charged with disturbing the peace and throwing a missile. The latter, more serious charge was ultimately dismissed, as were suggestions that the student, Peter Smith, might be expelled; initially he stated publicly that he didn't regret what he'd done, but he later retracted it—probably because what he'd done also got him fired from his internship at Colorado's Democratic Senate, not because he felt bad for humiliating a politician who deserved it.
No one knows how to have any fun around here. This increased seriousness is not the only reason power of the glitterati is likely diminished for the election; to mix metaphors slightly, the shiny novelty of the gesture has worn off.
Nevertheless, a pro-choice activism organization called Glitter Bombs for Choice unites the glitter bomb with ShipYourEnemiesGlitter: the group mails glitter-filled cards and envelopes to pro-life politicians like Nebraskan representative Jeff Fortenberry, whose aides bore the brunt of a glitter bomb this March.
Although Fortenberry was in DC when his office received the offending package, the group's message was heard sparkly and clear; an accompanying note read , "Congrats, you've earned this for trying to deny women their right to choice. Mind your own uterus. She was peddling the plebeian plastic kind, not the glass version, at least. A similar but more utilitarian project exists in these Etsy glitter pills , which purport to be "not meant for consumption" and yet strongly, temptingly contradict that warning in a form that suggests they will have you shitting novelty.
These cases don't seem like selfish capitalists manipulating the dollar-eyed masses but rather like get-rich-quick schemes in which all parties are as mesmerized by potential profits as you are when you go to the cupcake place and see one with gold flake on it.
And in , the BBC reported that reflective material was discovered mixed in with what is believed to be the residue of 50,year-old Neanderthal cosmetics. Modern glitter was invented in in New Jersey, of all places, when American machinist Henry Ruschmann figured out a way to grind plastic into glitter. Before that, glitter was made of glass.
Tons of glitter are produced every year literally, tons. It can be as fine as dust or as chunky as confetti. Just look closely at consumer goods. Earlier this month, the UK outlawed microbeads in makeup and personal care products , including the type of glitter used in some rinse-off cosmetics. A similar ban in the US in applied only to exfoliants.
But surely even the UK ban leaves a lot of sparkle that could find its way into the sea and our scampi? Glitter probably represents only a tiny proportion of the plastic waste entering our environment compared with, say, the amount of food and drink packaging left on beaches. Noemi Lamanna uses glitter every day and she is worried about it. She became a glitter activist, telling anyone who would listen about its dirty little secret. Then, about a year ago, she and her best friend set up a company called Eco Glitter Fun.
Stephen Cotton is the chemical engineer who helped create Bio-glitter , the more environmentally friendly alternative sold by Lamanna. Does he like the stuff? Can you believe glitter has been sparkling since , Natalie? Thanks for pointing out the most interesting fact you found! We're so glad you enjoyed our sparkling Wonder, Alissa P! It's fun to learn something new with a great Friend like you! We think it's funny to imagine a popcorn flavored jellybean That is an excellent question!
What is your favorite craft to use glitter glue on? We thought that was a super cool use for glitter too, Tori! Please get a parent's permission before you glitter up your floors, though! We want to make sure they're OK with it first! We're so very happy to hear that, Julie!
Thank you for sharing your comment with us today! It's OK, icebat2! Hi, Nicholas! That's right! We always love hearing from our Wonder Friends! Thanks for joining the discussion! Hello, icebat2! It's fun to WONDER about how things are made and who might have invented them, so we're glad you thought today's Wonder was interesting even if crafting with glitter isn't your type of thing!
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Want to add a little wonder to your website? Help spread the wonder of families learning together. We sent you SMS, for complete subscription please reply. Follow Twitter Instagram Facebook. What makes glitter sparkle? Who invented glitter? What crafts can you make with glitter? Wonder What's Next? Try It Out Are you feeling sparkly?
Ask a friend or family member to help you check out the following activities: Craft projects can be so much more fun when you add glitter to them. Take a field trip with an adult friend or family member to a local store that sells cosmetics. How many different examples of products containing glitter can you find? If possible, purchase a product or two to try at home. Have fun adding some sparkle to your appearance! Have you ever wanted sparkly hair? For a fun hair experiment, try spraying some hair spray on your hair, followed by a few sprinkles of different colors of glitter.
Do you look fabulous? We bet you do! Have fun being sparkly! Did you get it? Test your knowledge. What are you wondering? Wonder Words sparkle tiny messy princess ingredient mane wand various material plastic aluminum titanium metallic iridescent spectrum mica machinist precisely Take the Wonder Word Challenge.
Join the Discussion. Dec 10, Hi macy! Samarra Nov 26, I'm sad that I don't have much glitter in my house because it's so fun. Dec 9, It IS fun, Samarra! It can make art projects stand out, for sure! Ariana Nov 19, I thought this text was cool because I have always wondered why glitter sparkles.
I hope people who read this text really enjoy and finally get there question answered. Bye for now. Nov 19, Thanks for stopping by, Ariana! Romanjellycat Jun 5, If Henry Ruschman invented glitter as we know it, was there different glitter before? Jun 17, Cambree Jones Mar 21, Mar 21, That's a great educated guess, Cambree! Zoey Rayana Piccininni Dec 4, Jun 12, The last two paragraphs of this Wonder will help explain: "Modern glitter as we know it was invented in by a New Jersey cattle rancher named Henry Ruschmann.
Jun 14, Abigail May 3, I never knew the creator of glitter or that something like glitter was found in a cave! That is really interesting. May 9, We think it's super interesting, too, Abigail! Thanks for being our Wonder Friend! I love glitter, I never knew than glitter is tiny plastic things!!!! May 3, Feb 16, Oct 2, We hope you enjoyed this Wonder of the Day all about glitter!
Sep 6, We're glad you commented, jazzy! Hi, maanya!
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