In recent days, many Instagram feeds have been invaded by black and white images of famous and non-famous women.
These photographs are often featured and filtered, taken from flattering angles and accompanied by benign legends about “supporting women.”
“I love this simple way of elevating each other. #challenge accepted. Thank you for nominating me @vanessabryant, ”model Cindy Crawford posted Monday along with a black-and-white photo of herself strolling on a beach that looks like it’s ripped from a Calvin Klein ad.
The premise of the “accepted challenge” trend is that these photos promote female empowerment, and that nominating friends to participate in the campaign is a way for women to support each other.
So far, over 3 million photos have been uploaded with the hashtag #ChallengeAccepted; many more have appeared without him.
“The trend continues to rebound with the use of the hashtag on Instagram that doubled only in the last day,” an Instagram spokeswoman said Monday. “According to the posts, we see that the majority of participants post notes related to strength and support for their communities.”
Many women have included the hashtag #womensupportingwomen in their posts. “Challenge accepted,” Khloe Kardashian wrote in an Instagram post on Sunday. “To all my queens: let us spread love and remember to be a little kinder to each other. #womensupportingwomen “.
This is not the first time that Instagram users have taken advantage of black and white selfies to support a vague cause. In 2016, the black and white photos with the hashtag #ChallengeAccepted were intended to spread a “cancer awareness” message. Over the years, the photographic trend has also been used to “spread positivity.”
The challenge has circulated as chain mail. Participants nominate at least one other woman (and often several) to post their own black and white portrait. Celebrities like actresses Kerry Washington, Jennifer Garner, Kristen Bell and Eva Longoria have helped the campaign gain visibility.
Cristine Abram, public relations manager and marketing influencer for Later, a social media marketing company, said a video of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaking against Representative Ted Yoho’s sexist comments against her on the floor of the Congress last week led to an increase in social media posts about feminism and female empowerment, which may have contributed to the latest round of black and white photos.
“That was the spark that led to the resurgence of the hashtag challenge,” said Ms. Abram. “It all has to do with female empowerment. There was this hashtag that already existed to raise awareness about other important topics. Taking advantage of that allowed participants to gain traction much faster because the algorithm was already familiar with the hashtag. “
An Instagram representative said the earliest post the company could submit for this current cycle of the challenge was published a week and a half ago by Brazilian journalist Ana Paula Padrão.
Although the portraits have spread widely, the publications themselves say very little. Like the black square, which became a symbol of solidarity with blacks, but asked very little of those who shared it, the black-and-white selfie allows users to feel like they’re taking a position without saying almost anything. Influencers and celebrities love these kinds of “challenges” because they don’t require real defense, which could alienate certain factions from their fan base.
“Ladies,” wrote writer Alana Levinson, tweeted on Monday, “instead of posting that black-and-white selfie, why don’t we go into feminism with something little at stake, like cutting off your friend who is an abuser. ? “
Other women have spoken out about the backlash they’ve faced for criticizing the trend. “I currently receive hate messages on instagram from complete strangers because I said that black and white selfies are not a cause,” podcast host Ali Segel tweeted. “Apparently I hate women and I don’t love myself. I will take care of my own business for the rest of my life!
“I think if this ‘movement’ featured trans women or women with different abilities, or showed female or female business or achievement in history, it would make more sense,” Segel explained in a direct message on Twitter. “But the idea of this as a challenge or a cause is really lost on me.”
“I just don’t know what it means,” he said over the phone. “Virtually everyone in my life has done the challenge, many of my friends and many people I love. I am 100 percent for the women who support women and I am grateful to the women who nominated me, but I don’t understand how a black and white vanity selfie does that. If we could do portraits of the women who inspired us, that would be a little more in line with what this is trying to achieve. ”
Other women online suggested that instead of a black and white selfie, women should share photos from books, articles, products, and charities that benefit women. Some people wondered if the trend was started by men.
Camilla Blackett, a television writer, suggested that the campaign was little more than a vehicle for engaging photos. “What’s the point of this #ChallengeAccepted thing?” she tweeted on Monday. “People don’t know that you can post a hot selfie for no reason?”
