What Is the ‘Challenge Accepted’ Trend of Black and White Photos on Instagram?

Social media users are noticing a new trend emerge via the hashtag, “Challenge Accepted” making its way across Instagram. But while the beautiful images of women uniting in tender, intimate black and white photos might signal the unification of feminine strength and countless stories of empowerment, it is rooted in a much deeper origin.

Though India.com reports the online challenge originated back in 2016 as a way of raising awareness for cancer, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar and The Cut among a number of other U.S. outlets have discovered the trend was started as a response to Turkish women getting frustrated over consistently seeing black and white photos of women who have been killed as a result of domestic violence and femicide.

Like every trend or meme online, the hashtag has mutated in a sense with a number of women altering the narrative behind the origins, creating its own extension in the viral challenge where if a woman is tagged in someone else’s post, she must share her own black-and-white selfie. The post must be captioned with either #ChallengeAccepted or #WomenSupportingWomenChallenge, or both. The challenge has been a significant trending subject the past week, with an Instagram spokesperson speaking out on it recently.

“The trend is still picking up with the usage of the hashtag on Instagram doubling in the last day alone,” they said in a statement. “Based on the posts, we’re seeing that most of the participants are posting with notes relating to strength and support for their communities.” Scroll down to see some examples of the “Challenge Accepted” challenge, including one from our very own entertainment reporter, Victoria Moghaddami.

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