Bizarre #A4Challenge's Rise and Fall
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The #A4 waist challenge is the latest craze, where slim women hold an A4 piece of paper over their bodies, showcasing their thickness matching up to the width of the paper; which measures at 21Cm. That equates to roughly 8.3 inches.
The other trends or 'challenges' as they're known to the social media users, have all been in relation to showing ones thinness by performing weird acts, such as being able to reach behind your body, wrapping your arm around yourself and then have your finger tips be able touch your belly button; sounds like something a contortionist could do with ease. It apparently equates to having a thin waist and hips. The other challenge to grace (I'm being sarcastic, obviously) our online presence was the art of being able to balance as many coins as possible in your collarbones. The more, the thinner and more socially acceptable you are... I guess that was the angle they were going for anyway? Really it just resulted in people either looking like a bit of an idiot on Instagram or people ending up with a complex about their collar bones; which is crazy, of all the things to make someone get a complex about?
While initially there was an influx of people partaking in the challenge and proudly showing off their little A4 sized bodies there has now been a recent backlash with women and men alike challenging societies expectations of women to be so thin. Instead of uploading images that promote the challenge, they are holding up paper with their own measurements, with body positive messages; such as; 'your body is sacred, you're exactly the way your supposed to be' and also with the empowering hash tag #Iamnotpaperthin. Some have taken it to jovial extremes by holding up extraordinarily large pieces of paper, drawing attention to the stupidity of the challenge.
One man's touching response to this challenge show's us nothing less then the stupid and dangerous implications challenges like this cause. Our children and our loved ones are millennials, they know no bounds when it comes to the internet dictating how their self esteem and self image is formed. Yes I know that China has different body and beauty ideals, but for once, the western worlds is actually taking a good route of promoting health, curves and brains; women are also holding up images of their degree/qualifications against their waists (you go girls) I really do think it's our duty to keep it that way and ignore or revolt anymore silly challenges that may arise, that promote drastic weight loss and a body type ideal. They have no place in deciding how we feel about our bodies. Its hard enough as it is.
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| bbc.co.uk |
Bizarre #A4Challenge's Rise and Fall
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Saturday, March 26, 2016
Rating:
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Saturday, March 26, 2016
Rating:
Unknown
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