There’s a new social media challenge every couple of weeks, and those of us who want to do better and be more aware of how our presence in certain spaces takes up room for the people whose voices need to be heard have become reticent to join in.

We need to ask questions before we accept a viral chain letter and post a selfie, take up a hashtag spot, and the like, even though someone we love and trust sent the challenge along.

Which is all to say, let’s talk about the origins behind this black and white women’s selfie challenge, because it’s a bit more than a simple and vague “women supporting women.”

Actress Florence Pugh (who blew you away in Little Women), shed light on the challenge’s background when she posted a silly black and white photo of her own.

View this post on Instagram

Challenge accepted. #istanbulconventionsaveslives #womenempowerment #womensupportingwomen – I’ve been told that the true meaning of this hashtag and this b&w photo- ‘It is to shed light onto the Istanbul Convention, women are being subjected to violence and this convention is to end forgiveness for the attacker/murderers.’ With that in mind, adjust your hashtags if you didn’t already do so. Thank you @jessicaroseweiss, @bellathorne and @edibow for inviting me. Let’s ride gals. Post your b&w in support of this movement, these women need the world to hear.

A post shared by Florence Pugh (@florencepugh) on Jul 27, 2020 at 2:25pm PDT

“I’ve been told that the true meaning of this hashtag and this b&w photo – ‘It is to shed light onto the Istanbul Convention, women are being subjected to violence and this convention is to end forgiveness for the attacker/murderers.

With that in mind, adjust your hashtags if you didn’t already do so.

Let’s ride gals.”

New York Times writer Tariro Mzezewa also verifies this is how the challenge started, saying that she spoke to some Turkish women who said,

“It started there as a response to them being frustrated over always seeing black and white photos of women who have been killed.”

The original accompanying hashtags were #kadınaşiddetehayır#istanbulsözleşmesiyaşatır which I’m told translate to say no to violence against women &
enforce the Istanbul Treaty/ Doctrine (where rights to protect women are signed.)

— Tariro Mzezewa (@tariro) July 28, 2020

Dr.  Pragya Agarwal chimed in as well, adding,

“This was started by Turkish women to say that they are appalled by the Turkish govt decision to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, much like Poland.

This is to say that no woman stands alone, we deserve to take up space, we are all #womensupportingwomen.”

View this post on Instagram

Black and white selfies. It isn’t just a game of hot or not. Or an exercise in vanity. It is not just a mindless challenge that women are undertaking to post their sexiest snaps. These are some of the criticisms that this #challenge has faced. It is a very serious gesture of defiance in support of the Turkish Women (Turkey has one of the highest femicide rate), in support of Pinar Gultekin who was killed in the most violent manner, in support of every woman who has felt threatened and unsafe. This is show of solidarity to say that we stand together, we are unafraid, we are fed up of the lack of accountability for the perpetrators. This was started by Turkish women to say that they are appalled by the Turkish govt decision to withdraw from the Isanbul convention much like Poland. This is to say that no woman stands alone, we deserve to take up space, we are all #womensupportingwomen This is not just performative, this is hopefully not just tokenistic, this is for PINAR GULTEKIN. Say her name!! . (kindly tag me at the top if reposting) . #challengeaccepted . . . #pinargultekin #turkishwomen #westandtogether #domesticviolenceawareness #genderbias #genderinequality #shatterpatriarchy #blackandwhitephoto #selfie #womenempowerment #pınargültekin #empoweringwomen #genderequity #genderequalityforall #nooneisfreeuntileveryoneisfree #feminismisforeverybody #womenofcolor #turkishwomen #womenofcolour #kadinasiddetehayir #istanbulsözleşmesiyaşatır

A post shared by Dr Pragya Agarwal (@drpragyaagarwal) on Jul 28, 2020 at 3:03am PDT

Poland left the Instanbul Convention, which is a European treaty aimed at protecting women against violence, and Turkey is considering doing the same.

⁣⁣Breonna Taylor (2020 – Louisville, KY)⁣
⁣⁣
A beloved 26 year-old EMT, Breonna was murdered during a "no knock" raid when plainclothes officers shot her 8 times in her home.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Status: @kyoag’s office is *still* reviewing the case. Only one officer Hankison, was fired pic.twitter.com/pMLuIphZQY

— Padma Lakshmi (@PadmaLakshmi) July 28, 2020

The post Women, Read This Before You Participate in the Black and White Selfie Challenge appeared first on UberFacts.

There’s a new social media challenge every couple of weeks, and those of us who want to do better and be more aware of how our presence in certain spaces takes up room for the people whose voices need to be heard have become reticent to join in.

We need to ask questions before we accept a viral chain letter and post a selfie, take up a hashtag spot, and the like, even though someone we love and trust sent the challenge along.

Which is all to say, let’s talk about the origins behind this black and white women’s selfie challenge, because it’s a bit more than a simple and vague “women supporting women.”

Actress Florence Pugh (who blew you away in Little Women), shed light on the challenge’s background when she posted a silly black and white photo of her own.

View this post on Instagram

Challenge accepted. #istanbulconventionsaveslives #womenempowerment #womensupportingwomen – I’ve been told that the true meaning of this hashtag and this b&w photo- ‘It is to shed light onto the Istanbul Convention, women are being subjected to violence and this convention is to end forgiveness for the attacker/murderers.’ With that in mind, adjust your hashtags if you didn’t already do so. Thank you @jessicaroseweiss, @bellathorne and @edibow for inviting me. Let’s ride gals. Post your b&w in support of this movement, these women need the world to hear.

A post shared by Florence Pugh (@florencepugh) on Jul 27, 2020 at 2:25pm PDT

“I’ve been told that the true meaning of this hashtag and this b&w photo – ‘It is to shed light onto the Istanbul Convention, women are being subjected to violence and this convention is to end forgiveness for the attacker/murderers.

With that in mind, adjust your hashtags if you didn’t already do so.

Let’s ride gals.”

New York Times writer Tariro Mzezewa also verifies this is how the challenge started, saying that she spoke to some Turkish women who said,

“It started there as a response to them being frustrated over always seeing black and white photos of women who have been killed.”

The original accompanying hashtags were #kadınaşiddetehayır#istanbulsözleşmesiyaşatır which I’m told translate to say no to violence against women &
enforce the Istanbul Treaty/ Doctrine (where rights to protect women are signed.)

— Tariro Mzezewa (@tariro) July 28, 2020

Dr.  Pragya Agarwal chimed in as well, adding,

“This was started by Turkish women to say that they are appalled by the Turkish govt decision to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, much like Poland.

This is to say that no woman stands alone, we deserve to take up space, we are all #womensupportingwomen.”

View this post on Instagram

Black and white selfies. It isn’t just a game of hot or not. Or an exercise in vanity. It is not just a mindless challenge that women are undertaking to post their sexiest snaps. These are some of the criticisms that this #challenge has faced. It is a very serious gesture of defiance in support of the Turkish Women (Turkey has one of the highest femicide rate), in support of Pinar Gultekin who was killed in the most violent manner, in support of every woman who has felt threatened and unsafe. This is show of solidarity to say that we stand together, we are unafraid, we are fed up of the lack of accountability for the perpetrators. This was started by Turkish women to say that they are appalled by the Turkish govt decision to withdraw from the Isanbul convention much like Poland. This is to say that no woman stands alone, we deserve to take up space, we are all #womensupportingwomen This is not just performative, this is hopefully not just tokenistic, this is for PINAR GULTEKIN. Say her name!! . (kindly tag me at the top if reposting) . #challengeaccepted . . . #pinargultekin #turkishwomen #westandtogether #domesticviolenceawareness #genderbias #genderinequality #shatterpatriarchy #blackandwhitephoto #selfie #womenempowerment #pınargültekin #empoweringwomen #genderequity #genderequalityforall #nooneisfreeuntileveryoneisfree #feminismisforeverybody #womenofcolor #turkishwomen #womenofcolour #kadinasiddetehayir #istanbulsözleşmesiyaşatır

A post shared by Dr Pragya Agarwal (@drpragyaagarwal) on Jul 28, 2020 at 3:03am PDT

Poland left the Instanbul Convention, which is a European treaty aimed at protecting women against violence, and Turkey is considering doing the same.

⁣⁣Breonna Taylor (2020 – Louisville, KY)⁣
⁣⁣
A beloved 26 year-old EMT, Breonna was murdered during a "no knock" raid when plainclothes officers shot her 8 times in her home.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Status: @kyoag’s office is *still* reviewing the case. Only one officer Hankison, was fired pic.twitter.com/pMLuIphZQY

— Padma Lakshmi (@PadmaLakshmi) July 28, 2020

The post Women, Read This Before You Participate in the Black and White Selfie Challenge appeared first on UberFacts.