We see challenges all the time on the internet. It has, after all, become an everyday practice. We've also seen these challenges trend, another common occurrence. Still, there are some challenges that are intriguing, different and somehow universal.
There's a new challenge in town trending with the #challengeaccepted. It's now a global trend meant to help 'Women support women'. Indian celebrities have joined this trend with their glam shots.
Why this challenge is important?
What has been intriguing netizens all day today is why women across the globe are partaking in the #challengeaccepted and why are we suddenly seeing a sudden burst of black and white pictures on the internet.
It seems like a random wave. This challenges began a few days back meant to encapsulate the spirit of women supporting other women. It's a challenge we rarely get to see as a challenge in and of itself. Over 3 million such photos have been counted on Instagram alone over the past few days.
The trend has reached India as well. This is meant to be a positive challenge to uplift each other. It's obviously a low stakes challenge and not a call to action, it's just a means to spread a positive feeling for the next person.
There has, however, been a report of certain events that could have inspired the challenge, the murder of a 27-year-old Turkish woman which has sparked huge backlash in Turkey against the rising rate of femicide as a way to garner solidarity and support. The black-and-white photo represents the monochrome images, people in Turkey see in the newspapers, Instagram and the TV the American University Turkish Cultural Club educated netizens on Instagram.
Another purported reason for the trend might be US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's speech against the sexist behaviour of her colleague Ted Yoho. Her speech has since gone viral.
The chain mail effect is what the challenge thrives on. While where it began and why it began are still being debated, many women are just enjoying being part of this challenge. The interesting thing is whatever the reason, this challenge seems to spark joy and support without agenda, just well-meaning netizens uplifting each other. Hopefully, the effect is that it rubs off, makes us aware, keeping in cognizance not only these incidents but the many that make daily life harder for women. It's refreshing to see a challenge on social media that doesn't mean a 'challenge' in the literal sense.
Bollywood's contribution
So far numerous celebrities have used this as a talking point to point out, 'spread love' something that's been missing in Bollywood so far. However, this is not to detract on the nitty-gritty of what's happening in Bollywood right now.
Actresses are using the opportunity to post their black and white, monochrome images with a positive caption. Sonam Kapoor wrote, "I love this black and white picture. It represents my love for India and Indian creativity."
Katrina Kaif wrote, "so grateful for the inspiration and support from all the women around me."
Ekta Kapoor was all smiles:
Twinkle Khanna took us back to the past:
Sara Ali Khan was glamour par excellence:
Ananya Panday's was a cover shot:
Karisma Kapoor looked ready to take the world by storm :
Hopefully, we get to see more challenges that are as calm as this one, less trolling, and a little more liking.
