#challengeaccepted

People ask the question: What does posting of black and white selfies do?

In Turkey, women waking up daily, see news with pictures of murdered females. 📰 The movement is said to have started as a way for women to have their voices heard — standing united with women who have been killed. A way of representing those women, and showing that it could be

Pinar Gültekin, or any of us whose photo is in the news. 📺 Showing strength in solidarity, and reminding us all that we are supported. The same way we find guidance on issues like mental health through social media pages, this challenge too, shows unity in a public yet quiet way. 🤝

The official goal: a show of support for other women, by women. 💪🏽

When learning more about femicide, Jyoti Singh, the 23-year old gang-rape victim in India comes to mind. 🇮🇳 A male aura of entitlement allowed six men to violently rape her, taunting her for being out at such a late hour with her boyfriend. She eventually died from her injuries. 😔 The brutal treatment of Singh during this crime — that these men felt was warranted and justified simply because they are men — is horrific and truly hurts the heart. 💔

North America is not immune. Catherine Galliford, an RCMP officer and spokesperson for the Missing Women’s Task Force, accused the organization of not only weak investigations into murdered women -- specifically the delay in the investigation of Robert Pickton (“The Pig Farmer Killer”) -- but also sexual harassment and misconduct within the force. 🇨🇦 Thousands of female officers came forward, issuing a class-action lawsuit against the RCMP, inspired by Galliford. If the police in modern, western civilization are putting sex toys in female officer’s desk drawers, and telling these same female officers to ‘close their legs’ when they request maternity leave, what hope do other countries have? ☝🏽These are officers, role models -- held to a higher standard -- accused of rape, unwanted sexual touching, and bullying of female colleagues. Government institutions inflicting pain and humiliation on females. Well, society at large is watching. 👀

And in that society, social media users are now witnessing a #challengeaccepted. As we can see, campaigns like this do not require much to show support. Similar to the blacked-out page posts in support of the BLM movement and #blackouttuesday . ⬛️They succeed at bringing something out into the light, that we might be otherwise unaware of. Police brutality, and racist institutions are not new. Femicide is not new. However, the more that people are aware of such realities, the better. 👏🏽 A springboard for more resistance, more knowledge, and ultimately more change. We talk to our sons. We talk to our daughters. This is how we alter thinking. In my case, this is a topic amongst friends and family, here on IG, and I can further share this dialogue in my classroom come September. 🔔 My own daughter wrote a paper stemming from this discussion, on women in the RCMP.

The very existence of femicide tells us how far we have to go. Little steps are part of this journey. 👣 Black and white selfies lead to learning. To shifting.

And any exposure that works towards that shift, is good exposure. These days, public perception shifts when an idea or movement claims a place in social media. 💻

So what does it really do? It is a beginning, not an end. Some call it digital activism. Personally, I like the idea of people thinking critically about what they are posting online.🙋🏻‍♀️And of the millions of women posting photos, some will stop there. That quiet support is still support. Others will go further: exploring, learning, contributing, showcasing, highlighting, writing, joining, donating, fighting, talking. This is where social media comes in. There is posting and then there is intentional posting. Why is that selfie there? For people to say, “Oh you look so pretty”? Or for people to read what your purpose is. Purposeful posting. The rest, is up to you. 🤷🏻‍♀️

In its base form, #challengeaccepted is simply a black and white selfie. But what it can lead to depends on each and every one of us. ❤️

Sources:

Femicideincanada.ca

Eski, Beril. “The murder of a ballerina”, New York Times, February 4, 2020.

Clancy, Natalie. “RCMP face sexual harassment class-action suit”, CBC News, March 27, 2012.

Helen Reddy, I Am Woman. Universal Music Publishing Group, 1971.

India's Daughter. Assassin Films, 2015.