While empowering, the latest photo challenge to emerge online is about more than just about a good selfie
If your feed has been flooded with black and white photos lately, you're not alone. A mysterious new photo challenge has recently surfaced on Facebook and on Instagram: pictures of women all around the world, beautiful and happy, but in black and white. Many women have posted their photos, captioning them with the phrase "Challenge Accepted". Yet despite its popularity, the history behind the new challenge has only recently been brought to light.
While the photos themselves seem like a fun and lighthearted way to empower others, there's a more serious meaning behind the black and white filter. An Instagram user, @beelzeboobz, recently shared a now-viral post explaining what it means.
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The challenge had apparently begun in Turkey, where crimes against women have been on the rise. Although estimates are conservative—with cases going unreported every year—Turkey has already tallied 157 of them in 2020 alone (number comes from an online platform, We Will Stop Femicide). This is about when the new photo challenge started. Women in Turkey began posting photos of themselves in black and white to remind people that the next femicide victim you see in the news could easily be them, or someone they knew.
Of course, with the way the Internet works, the photo challenge has taken on different meanings in different countries. In the Philippines, the challenge has become a digital call-to-action that aims to support and empower women. While the cause has been a noble one, it's also important to know that empowering women can mean many different things to many different women. Let us support everyone — but today we spotlight and uplift women in all aspects of their lives — not just by participating in this challenge but also by sharing information on current events.
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Some of our Tatler friends have been doing their part in this feminist movement — check them out below!