Why are Women Posting Black and White Selfies on IG as Part of #ChallengeAccepted?
For the past few days, many have witnessed, and many have participated in the #challengeaccepted. As part of the challenge, women are posting black and white pictures of themselves on Instagram and tagging their friends to do the same with this beautiful message.
There is a woman empowerment challenge going around on Instagram. I think you are so badass and amazing, and I was careful to choose who I think will meet the challenge, but above all, I chose women I know who share my values and views of the world. You are one of those women. Post a photo in black-and-white alone, write “challenge accepted” and mention my name. Identify other women to do the same in private DM. I chose you because you are beautiful, strong, and incredible. Let’s ❤️ each other!
The challenge was intended to bring together the women in solidarity, encourage the act of supporting one another, and spread positivity. Some say it is as a result of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez being called a “bitch” by Republican Ted Yoho. Tariro Mzezewa, a travel reporter for the New York Times, tweeted that the idea of posting black and white images might have originated in Turkey to bring awareness about what is happening to the women in Turkey.
Femicide in Turkey
Every day, Turkish people see black and white photos of women who have been murdered, mostly committed by partners and family members, either on their Instagram feed, in their newspapers, or on their TV screens.
Recently, the murder of a Turkish student Pinar Gültekin by her ex-boyfriend Cemal Metin Avci sparked outrage in Turkey. This had led to women’s rights activists calling on the government to stand against the domestic violence problem in the country. However, protesters were met with police brutality. They assert that the number of femicides in the country has been on the rise, and the government has taken little to no measure to protect women at risk. The protests are also to encourage the implementation of the Istanbul Convention from which Turkey is considering withdrawing.
Critics have said that the challenge had changed shape, and the cause behind the movement had diluted. It has become another one of those trends.
Doesn’t have to be just another trend
Recently, Instagram took to the news and has clarified that the #WomenSupportingWomen challenge started in Brazil from a July 17 post by Ana Paula Padrão, a Brazilian journalist.
While enough debate has been waged about the origin of this challenge, one thing remains unchanged. Such challenges are about women and their empowerment. Because in the current world, women need to be empowered, especially by other women. Women need to support women. So go ahead, and participate in the challenge. Advocate for the fights women are putting up around the globe. But don’t stop there.
I have seen and experienced women being critical of one another, gossiping behind each other’s back, and calling each other names. This kind of behavior might have been influenced by how poorly women are represented in the media (what defines beauty, what is the ideal feminine woman, the drama surrounding women competing against each other, etc.), and fueled by insecurities (whether we live up to the ridiculous standards set by society). This behavior has to stop.
Women need to support women
The first lesson we need to learn is that support needs to come from both men and women. In our journey to achieve equal status to men as women, we have to understand that it starts with us. Once again, I will iterate. Go ahead, and participate in the challenge. But don’t stop there. Continue to empower the women in your lives regularly. Don’t hesitate to lend your support to women’s causes. Normalize it to a point where we won’t need such challenges nudging us in the right direction.
Having said that, here are some ways we can support all the amazing women around us:
Listen and encourage
On a day to day basis, we all go through stressful situations. Lending an ear and asking what we can do to help will go a long way in alleviating the burden. Let us support each other in loving ourselves, dealing with complexities, and building confidence to go after things we want to achieve.
Cut each other some slack
We, women, have enough on our plates to deal with. Let us not add to the trouble. Before we make a critical remark about someone or listen to some gossip, let us put ourselves in that person’s shoes and practice empathy.
Share knowledge
Let us connect and build a support system where we can learn from one another. Instead of competing with each other, let us be allies in our journey to be empowered.
Celebrate accomplishments
Let us celebrate each other’s achievements and normalize giving compliments. If we don’t do it, who will?
Be inclusive
Let us invite the women around us to be part of events, be it an office outing, some exciting conference, or a luncheon. We are not in some version of Mean Girls.
