Imagine this.  You have just taken the mail out of your mailbox and  have begun to walk up your driveway approaching your house.  As you get inside the door, you drop your backpack and begin going through the mail looking for a letter with your name on it.  You may be expecting a report card, an early birthday greeting, a bank statement,  maybe a letter or two from the colleges you’ve just applied to, or as usual, nothing.  What you do end up finding is a thick white envelope addressed to you.  As you try to contain your excitement and rip open the packet, you’re not greeted with the usual white paper with black ink on it, but instead with a colorful array of sparkling specs floating through the air.  At first you’re confused on what has just played out before your very eyes; however, after a quick glance around, you realize that you have been a victim of the rising new trend of glitter bombing.

The upcoming trend is not to be confused with the glitter bombing concept where a person gets glitter thrown on them usually at a political event due to social conflict.  No, this action has an audience of its own—people who want to mess with their enemies.

Why is glitter bombing such a big deal?  First of all, glitter can be the enemy of any parent who has a daughter between the ages of 6-12 or any establishment that throws birthday parties, weddings, or a yearly New Year’s Eve bash.  If you’re still not convinced, try imagining thousands upon thousands of millimeter-sized pieces of glitter landing all over you and your floor, along with a note explaining exactly why you are receiving this unfortunate gift.  A rainbow of colors everywhere: in your hair, on your clothes, and on your new white carpet.  Now, the dreaded thought pops into your mind: “ How will I pick this up?” After a few showers you will get all of the glitter out of your hair and by shaking out your clothes then putting them through a quick rinse cycle it will be like the glitter incident never happened, but the real problem comes when you look down at the floor. A sweeper/broom and dustpan will pick up the layer of sparkles on the surface of the floor; however, after choosing either one of these options you will soon realize that you now have glitter spread out everywhere.  Now it’s time to bring out the big guns, a lint roller, some masking tape, and an hour or two of manual labor.

Don’t get the impression that a glitter bomber’s life is glamorous, because no one wins when it comes to glitter.  For instance, a man from Australia who start a glitter bombing website got so many orders placed that he soon became overwhelmed and pleaded for people to stop ordering. It can be assumed that after filling many orders, his floors looked like any victim’s house would. He has now sold his business presumably to someone who can take the heat.  In the future you can send your enemies some glitter by visiting a website easily accessible through google.

Is glitter bombing through the mail illegal?  No one is completely sure; however, it can be assumed that legal actions can and will probably be taken in the future due to the harassing nature of this prank.