Here’s a round-up of dares that created a major stir online in 2015
Who can forget the ATS Ice Bucket Challenge that went viral globally in 2014? The challenge turned out to be a successful one in spreading awareness of the disease. The year 2015 saw a number of challenges going viral online but sadly, most of them received severe flak for promoting body shaming and eating disorders. Here’s a list of them:
Collarbone Challenge
This social media challenge appeared on Chinese social media in briefly in 2013 but since its re-appearance on June 17, 2015, it received over 34 million hits on Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter within 24 hours!
WHAT DID THE CHALLENGE INVOLVE?
Basically, women had to upload their selfies online to show how many coins they can hold with their collarbones. Some participants have given the challenge a funny spin. They are pictured holding unexpected objects, from mobile phones, eggs to flasks, with the base of their necks. Even some men took this challenge replacing coins with half-cut lemons, phones, etc. One picture belonging to this challenged that received particular attention was that of Lv Jiarong, a Chinese actress, who was seen balancing around 80 coins on her two collarbones while still managing to take a selfie (see box). The Collarbone Challenge received a lot of flak from health experts globally who described it as another terrible and ridiculous body shaming social media trend and that it promoted eating disorders.
Belly button Challenge
Just a week before the Collarbone Challenge became viral, the Belly button challenge became the rage on Chinese social media mainly Weibo. It also triggered more than 1,04,000 active discussion threads.
WHAT DID THE CHALLENGE INVOLVE?
Basically, it involves posting selfies while trying to reach an arm behind one’s back and around to touch one’s belly button. If you did the challenge successfully, one was met with praise under the pretext that the challenge is a test of health and fitness. But if one failed, get body shamed in the bargain. This challenge received many brickbats by health experts who condemned it not only for promoting eating disorders, thinspiration and not being a proof of good health but in fact, shoulder flexibility.
This challenge’s participants were mostly women, however, one not-so-thin male blogger took the challenge by storm and got over 2,634 likes, 2,000 comments and was shared more than 8,452 times. Weibo user Sough Sa also got nicknamed Underdog Buddha.
Don’t Judge Challenge
To combat the numerous body shaming challenges that went viral online, the Don’t Judge Challenge was born.
WHAT DID THE CHALLENGE INVOLVE?
Users on Instagram and Twitter began posting photos or videos of themselves with unibrow, acne, pimples, spectacles — which they drew or painted on their faces — things that usually are the targets of body shaming. Later, they wipe off their ‘flaws’ to reveal a dramatic before and after look. The purpose of this challenge was to encourage people to accept their ‘flaws’ and themselves rather than to feel ashamed. Just one hitch. The challenge backfired big time as people began sharing “ugly” pic and it ended up mocking people who wear glasses, have acne, etc. And rightly so, the challenge was met with severe critism.
Condom Challenge
Don’t confuse this one with the condom challenge in 2013, where people literally snorted condoms up their nostrils!
WHAT DID THE CHALLENGE INVOLVE?
This year’s condom challenge is simpler compared to its predecessor, and involves filling a condom with water and dropping it on your friend’s head. This challenge apparently began in Japan (we know you’re tired of hearing China!) The challenge seems bizarre to aptly describe it, but people who took it up wanted to check whether condoms won’t pop even after they’re filled with a gallon of water and dropped on somebody’s head.
Hold A Coke With
Your Boobs Challenge
This challenge guaranteed serious eyeballs, when it came to creating awareness for breast cancer.
WHAT DID THE CHALLENGE INVOLVE?
Pretty obvious! It won’t come as a surprise that the Hold A Coke With Your Boobs Challenge, was started by porn recruiter Danny Frost, who works for Elite Talent Referral (a porn agency that finds new fresh faces). The agency began posting photos of busty women with Coke bottles between their breasts on May 25, and the trend gathered ample steam. This viral trend is allegedly to raise money for breast cancer awareness (dunno how many people are buying that!) Immediately, women and men on Instagram users began sharing photos of themselves participating in the challenge.
Kylie Jenner Challenge
Yes, this is one’s for real!
WHAT DID THE CHALLENGE INVOLVE?
It involves placing one’s mouth over a shot glass, bottle or jar and sucking in until the air vacuum causes the lips to swell up, and look like Kylie Jenner’s bee-stung pout. The vacuum created while sucking in the air increases blood flow to the lips and the lips swell as a result. The results were said to last for hours and even days but some complained that the after effects lasted much longer. Numerous teens — both girls and boys — began sharing their not-so-deisrable results (in many cases it resulted in bruising around the mouth) of their challenge on Twitter and Instagram.
Who can forget the ATS Ice Bucket Challenge that went viral globally in 2014? The challenge turned out to be a successful one in spreading awareness of the disease. The year 2015 saw a number of challenges going viral online but sadly, most of them received severe flak for promoting body shaming and eating disorders. Here’s a list of them:
Collarbone Challenge
This social media challenge appeared on Chinese social media in briefly in 2013 but since its re-appearance on June 17, 2015, it received over 34 million hits on Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter within 24 hours!
WHAT DID THE CHALLENGE INVOLVE?
Basically, women had to upload their selfies online to show how many coins they can hold with their collarbones. Some participants have given the challenge a funny spin. They are pictured holding unexpected objects, from mobile phones, eggs to flasks, with the base of their necks. Even some men took this challenge replacing coins with half-cut lemons, phones, etc. One picture belonging to this challenged that received particular attention was that of Lv Jiarong, a Chinese actress, who was seen balancing around 80 coins on her two collarbones while still managing to take a selfie (see box). The Collarbone Challenge received a lot of flak from health experts globally who described it as another terrible and ridiculous body shaming social media trend and that it promoted eating disorders.
Belly button Challenge
Just a week before the Collarbone Challenge became viral, the Belly button challenge became the rage on Chinese social media mainly Weibo. It also triggered more than 1,04,000 active discussion threads.
WHAT DID THE CHALLENGE INVOLVE?
Basically, it involves posting selfies while trying to reach an arm behind one’s back and around to touch one’s belly button. If you did the challenge successfully, one was met with praise under the pretext that the challenge is a test of health and fitness. But if one failed, get body shamed in the bargain. This challenge received many brickbats by health experts who condemned it not only for promoting eating disorders, thinspiration and not being a proof of good health but in fact, shoulder flexibility.
This challenge’s participants were mostly women, however, one not-so-thin male blogger took the challenge by storm and got over 2,634 likes, 2,000 comments and was shared more than 8,452 times. Weibo user Sough Sa also got nicknamed Underdog Buddha.
Don’t Judge Challenge
To combat the numerous body shaming challenges that went viral online, the Don’t Judge Challenge was born.
WHAT DID THE CHALLENGE INVOLVE?
Users on Instagram and Twitter began posting photos or videos of themselves with unibrow, acne, pimples, spectacles — which they drew or painted on their faces — things that usually are the targets of body shaming. Later, they wipe off their ‘flaws’ to reveal a dramatic before and after look. The purpose of this challenge was to encourage people to accept their ‘flaws’ and themselves rather than to feel ashamed. Just one hitch. The challenge backfired big time as people began sharing “ugly” pic and it ended up mocking people who wear glasses, have acne, etc. And rightly so, the challenge was met with severe critism.
Condom Challenge
Don’t confuse this one with the condom challenge in 2013, where people literally snorted condoms up their nostrils!
WHAT DID THE CHALLENGE INVOLVE?
This year’s condom challenge is simpler compared to its predecessor, and involves filling a condom with water and dropping it on your friend’s head. This challenge apparently began in Japan (we know you’re tired of hearing China!) The challenge seems bizarre to aptly describe it, but people who took it up wanted to check whether condoms won’t pop even after they’re filled with a gallon of water and dropped on somebody’s head.
Hold A Coke With
Your Boobs Challenge
This challenge guaranteed serious eyeballs, when it came to creating awareness for breast cancer.
WHAT DID THE CHALLENGE INVOLVE?
Pretty obvious! It won’t come as a surprise that the Hold A Coke With Your Boobs Challenge, was started by porn recruiter Danny Frost, who works for Elite Talent Referral (a porn agency that finds new fresh faces). The agency began posting photos of busty women with Coke bottles between their breasts on May 25, and the trend gathered ample steam. This viral trend is allegedly to raise money for breast cancer awareness (dunno how many people are buying that!) Immediately, women and men on Instagram users began sharing photos of themselves participating in the challenge.
Kylie Jenner Challenge
Yes, this is one’s for real!
WHAT DID THE CHALLENGE INVOLVE?
It involves placing one’s mouth over a shot glass, bottle or jar and sucking in until the air vacuum causes the lips to swell up, and look like Kylie Jenner’s bee-stung pout. The vacuum created while sucking in the air increases blood flow to the lips and the lips swell as a result. The results were said to last for hours and even days but some complained that the after effects lasted much longer. Numerous teens — both girls and boys — began sharing their not-so-deisrable results (in many cases it resulted in bruising around the mouth) of their challenge on Twitter and Instagram.
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