2008 was a pretty different time. Obama was busy campaigning for President, the first iphone was making its debut in Australia, Instagram didn't even exist yet, and nobody was being invited to 'gender reveal' parties where expectant parents dramatically pop a balloon (or cut a cake, or enlist the jaws of an alligator, or accidentally set a car on fire) to tell everyone what kind of genitals their unborn kid has.

But in 2008, LA blogger Jenna Karvunidis did have a gender reveal party, and it was likely the first of its kind to kickstart a trend that would eventually evolve into its own booming industry (and give us videos like these).

At the time, Jenna and her partner had been through a few miscarriages, she explains, and they were excited to share the 20-week milestone of her pregnancy.

"We thought, hey, let's just have a little party with the family," Jenna told Hack.

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Whatsapp Jenna Karvunidis and her family

Jenna made two rubber ducky cakes, one with blue and one with pink filling; she got a sealed envelope with the baby's sex from her midwife, and had her sister in law bring out one of the cakes. It was pink, they were having a girl.

"There was no spectacle whatsoever. It was just our immediate family, you know, just in-laws and two friends."

Jenna posted about her party on her blog, and eventually her story about her pregnancies - and her gender reveal party - was featured in a local pregnancy magazine.

From there the trend, much like the wildfire that caused $8 million worth of damage at a gender reveal party in Arizona last year, took on a life of its own.

More than a decade later, Jenna has seen the trend depart dramatically from its humble beginnings at a family barbecue. Looking at elaborate parties - and accidents - unfold online, she's felt pangs of guilt at what it's all become.

When I saw the wildfire, I cried. I felt really responsible. And I had to remind myself that I'm not responsible for other people's behaviours.

"I'm seeing the shift on these gender reveal parties that are so aggressive. There's like actors with guns and glitter, and they blow up a car, they shoot out something, and I think it's the aggressive nature of some of them that I'm kind of feeling really, like, it's time for this to end."

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In a Facebook post last week, Jenna revealed the ironic "plot twist" of that baby daughter whose gender was revealed via a pink rubber ducky cake.

"The world's first gender-reveal party baby is a girl who wears suits!"

Not only does she choose to wear suits, Jenna's 11-year-old daughter also has told her mum about the "sea" of genders out there.

"She's like, you know, there's there's many genders, Mom, there's not just one or two."

It gets to the heart of why Jenna has a new perspective on gender reveal parties. She says focusing on "what's between their legs" is a limiting way of welcoming a new human into the world.

"It seems like such an important detail about your baby what sex they are. But the reality of it is that is gender and gender expression is something completely different. That has to do with how you live and how you style yourself and your preferences and your life. It doesn't have to do with your chromosomes.

If you want to say your baby has XY chromosomes, pop a balloon and let all the x's fall out.

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Jenna, who now also posts about gun reform, abortion rights and black lives matter, among many other issues on her Facebook page, says it's time the gender reveal party trend becomes a little more socially conscious.

"I just feel like they're done. They're over. If people are still going to have the party, look, I don't want to shame parents. Parents, mothers especially, are shamed for every choice they make. And that's not where I want to go with this.

"If you want to have a party, have a party.... I don't 'regret' [starting the trend], I think it's also brought a lot of joy to people. If I've caused people to have some fun in their lives, that's okay. I just don't want to cause any pain."