Status symbol: Wristbands that say 'I'm single!'

Pay attention: There will be a quiz.

The news is of yet another variation on Lance Armstrong's Livestrong wristbands. They're Single Bands, described by their Edina inventor as "wristbands you wear to let others know you are single." As the original bands highlight the fight against cancer, these bands fight cluelessness.

Cathie Hill came up with the idea two years ago after growing frustrated with the dating scene.

"I look around and I don't know who's available at a park or at a bank," she said. "A wedding band means nothing anymore. But if they were wearing something, I'd know who I could smile at."

That "something" could be a Single Band in helpful color codes: Blue is for never married; green, divorced; purple, gays and lesbians; orange, bisexuals; yellow, separated; red, widowed, and pink, living with someone -- and presumably smart enough not to wear that band around the house.

The idea has been met with some skepticism, even snarkiness. Mused a writer for Boca Raton magazine: Is someone actually going to approach a widow at Starbucks and say, "Sorry about your husband. Can I buy you a latte?"

Why not? says Hill, who's worn a green band for two years. "It's like when you buy Trivial Pursuit," she said. "You have no idea how it works until you read the instructions and learn the colors. So Single Bands are kind of like a game, but it's real life."

The bands are $14.95, with a two-for-one option at www.singlebands.com.

Yet there's a rub: For them to work, the public needs to know which color means what. "Once the word gets out," Hill said with firm resolve, "everyone will know the color code."

Told you there'd be a quiz.

Kim Ode • 612-673-7185