You can see them everywhere on Instagram: black and white photos of women, titled "Challenge accepted". What hardly anyone knows – there was actually a tragic action behind it.
Laughing and detached, they look at me from my cell phone display. School friends line up with acting stars like Jennifer Aniston. They all flood my Instagram feed with pictures in black and white. "#Challengeaccepted", they write, sometimes a short sentence follows that we women have to support each other, or just another hashtag: #Womensupportingwomen. But something doesn't go together.
Why do so many women suddenly share colorless photos of themselves? I wonder. A few minutes later I have the answer – thanks to Google – in my hand: The pictures are part of an action in which women are committed to one another. Together we are stronger, clear. That makes sense to me. Unfortunately, it's not quite that simple. Because what probably hardly a smiling protagonist of the selfies of my Instagram feed knows: The Challenge has a completely different background. And he's less happy.
What #Challengeaccepted has to do with feminicides in Turkey
Actually, the challenge is supposed to be used by women's rights organizations in Turkey in particular: each black and white photo represents a murdered woman. And anyone can hit it. It's about feminicide, the murder of women. And that is still the order of the day just a few neighboring countries away. 475 women were killed in Turkey in 2019. The perpetrators are often acquaintances or even ex-partners, as is the case with the current murder of a 27-year-old student.
Murders of women are part of everyday life in Turkey. That wants to change the initiative "We will stop the murder of women". But it is pushing boundaries: Politicians are currently working on the opposite: the government is discussing getting out of an important agreement to protect women's rights. It is about the so-called Istanbul Convention, the "Council of Europe Convention for Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence". According to President Erdoğan, this should now be "checked", as reported by taz and zdf, among others.
How has a challenge against feminicides developed into a female empowerment movement? The origin is said to be in a speech by the American politician and activist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, in which she talks about her sexist experiences, according to the New York Times. The Brazilian journalist Ana Paula Padrão then shared the first black and white photo, nominated other women – and the second wave of the challenge built up.
Do we need selfies to support each other?
The Instagram Challenge has a very serious background. This should not be forgotten and certainly not covered up with happy, unwittingly shared selfies. Every day, women die somewhere from domestic violence – in Turkey, but also in Germany and many other countries in the world. This fact deserves attention.
Nevertheless, the female empowerment challenge also has its right to exist. But in this case it somehow takes the seriousness away from the origin. Why can't we do both? Stand up against feminicides – and for each other?
If you want to raise awareness of woman murders with a black and white photo under the hashtag #Challengeaccepted, you should continue to do so. And those who want to stand up for cohesion among women should continue to do so. But does it really need a selfie? For my part, I would be much more happy to see new faces in my Instagram feed – those of the women who enrich our lives every day, who inspire and support us. Maybe under the hashtag #Womensupportingwomen we will soon no longer only see our own photos, but those of the strong women behind us – whether moms, celebrities or best friends.