The Black & White photo challenge

August 6, 2020

Instagram feeds in the last two weeks have been flooded with black and white photos of women. The posts are supported by hashtag #WomenSupportingWomen and the phrase “Challenge Accepted”. Website thejournal.ie says that the campaign does not have any specific cause but carries a general sentiment of women supporting each other.

According to a report in The New York Times, the earliest photograph associated with this challenge was posted by Brazilian journalist Ana Paula Padrao.

The “campaign” has also come at a time when women in Turkey have been posting black and white photographs of themselves to raise awareness about femicide. The Indian Express reports that women in Turkey were getting frustrated over seeing black and white photos of murdered women in the media almost every day. By posting black and white photos of themselves, they wanted to bring home the point that anyone of them could be next.

There is also speculation that American politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s recent speech in the House of Representatives against Representative Ted Yoho for making sexist remarks against her might have consolidated the campaign.

At a time, when many are participating in the challenge, it is also important to know the essence of such “campaigns”. However, do such “campaigns” genuinely stick to their purpose or become a fad and are lost with time without addressing the core issue remains a question.

Author:
Rashmi Chouhan, Assistant Professor, Unitedworld School of Liberal Arts and Mass Communication (USLM)

Disclaimer: The opinions / views expressed in this article are solely of the author in his / her individual capacity. They do not purport to reflect the opinions and/or views of the College and/or University or its members.