Girlfriends turn Silly Bandz into more than a bracelet

Mason students Brian Lee, left, and Nicholas Brightwell, right, pose with their Silly Bandz in Southside. The bands act as a "promise ring" from each student's significant other. (Jenna Beaver) 

Walk into any high school and you are likely to see hundreds of teenage girls – and a few guys – wearing the newest wrist-fashion fad, Silly Bandz. But now the trend is slowly infiltrating colleges throughout the country, and with new significance—many college-aged women are now giving their boyfriends Silly Bandz as gifts, signifying that they are in a relationship.

At least at George Mason University.

Silly Bandz are silicone-based rubber bands that come in a variety of shapes—from animals, to sports-themed, to as of last Saturday, Justin Bieber.

“[My girlfriend] gave me our first silly band [this past] August . . . right before she was going away to school,” said junior history and government and international politics major Brian Lee.

Lee says while he does not wear the band regularly, he makes sure to put the quasi-promise ring on when his girlfriend makes the over four hour trip from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University to visit. (Lee’s girlfriend, a freshman in Blacksburg, appropriately gave Lee a Silly Bandz bracelet in the shape of a Virginia Tech football).

Nicholas Brightwell, a junior government and international politics major, also was given a Silly Band from his long-time girlfriend.

Brightwell’s girlfriend had received the Silly Band from her manager at her job who gave them out as incentives for good work.

“She decided to set [a Silly Band] on the table and go ‘Here, a gift for you,’” said Brightwell.

At first he was reluctant to wear the band, but soon came around.

“I enjoy the fact that it’s something she gave me and I take pride in the fact that I’m wearing it because I do love her and I do enjoy [using] this gift that she gave me,” Brightwell said.

Currently, Brightwell wears a green Norwegian Ridgeback Dragon from the Harry Potter series Silly Bandz bracelet as well as a yellow Batman Silly Band.

As for if he thinks the fad will last Brightwell does not believe so.

“Silly Bandz themselves are just a fad, they are going to go out eventually. I think they are overpriced, cheesy and you know it’s not so much the Silly Bandz that offend me— it’s the teeny bopper girls in the 7-Eleven line that are talking five to ten minutes about how wonderful Silly Bandz are as I’m trying to buy a soda.”

Lee shared the sentiments saying, “I think they are mostly just a little fad that is going to fade away eventually and whoever invented it is really rich now because of it.”

“But for now, I’m afraid to take it off,” Brightwell jokingly added.