This trend #silhouettechallenge is crazy like what the f***? What are your thoughts on this challenge. Do you consider it empowering or does it spell doom for the women who participate?
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There’s been top controversy with some people outrightly condemning it as devilish why some other parties support it as empowering because the female body is over-policed. What do you think?
About the Silhouette Challenge.
Let me first explain what the silhouette challenge is in case you’re not quite aware. The silhouette challenge is a TiK ToK trend where a woman goes nude in semi-darkness against a red light background which illuminates her nude body in the dark while moving to Paul Anka’s Put your head on my shoulder. So basically you are looking at a video compilation of unclad sexy women in the dark and of course this does not go down well with a cohort of people. Let’s face it, it’s pornographic, in the dark or not, the bodies are visible and the videos are sensual.
It is unclear who exactly started the challenge but it stems from the anime silhouette challenge which involves cutting an anime character into the silhouette pose. What we have trending now is however, posing in a doorway and transforming into a sultry black silhouette against a red background, and it has garnered over 100 million views.
Big question: did the Silhouette Challenge require participants to completely go nude?
Answer: No.
To make an alluring video, you need tight clothing that accentuates your curves. You could easily use a sexy lingerie and it would be just as great. But many of the videos came up as Stark nude pornographic content.
My discussion today is: is this challenge empowering for women who participate in it, or does it spell doom for them? This is because it has been the controversial topic all this time with some people saying these women are doomed, a lot of things would go wrong for them, nothing good can come out of them, who would marry them…and all that kind of stuff.
You know I will always tell you the truth don’t you?
I will first admit that yes; You and I know that the female body is a highly sensitive issue that draws critique from all corners. The female body is a beauty men rush to see, love to reminisce, and then find the way to make the woman take the blame for their guilty pleasures.
You and I also know that our bodies as women have been overly, extensively policed from the days of the old. The choice of what to wear and how to wear it is mostly taken away from you. You’re blamed if men find you attractive. Your curves and beauty are a cause to you. The way your butt moves when you walk is a sin unto the man that beholds it. And ultimately, what you are wearing is an excuse for the men that rape you.
We have lived and witnessed all these. And we know how much of a farce they all are, even the crusaders know these truths but if they admit it, then they’re admitting their guilt which is a no-no for them. No Brav, the truth can cause them a heart attack or a stroke.
It is a known fact that a man does not need to see you naked before sexualizing you. You can wear an Agbada and they will still draw your nude body under it and rape you if they so desire. We also know all about the deep-seated desire to slut-shame women when you own your sexuality and sexual expression, the need to demand the highest form of modesty and righteousness from women while men sit on their high horse and make the rules.
These are very important points that form the bane of our existence as women, so I need to assure you that I am well aware of these. But the big question again: are these enough reasons, valid reasons, for creating pornographic content and releasing to the public?
Silhouette Challenge: Pornographic Photos Vs Empowerment.
I personally believe that encouraging women to release pornography and empowering women to own their bodies, are two very different events, which may of course overlap at some point; but I assure you that they can be mutually exclusive just in the same way they can be mutually dependent. It all depends on the individual and how the individual connotes her body. Has she felt deeply insecure for so long that releasing her nude pictures and seeing positive comments make her feel secure and accepting of her body?
Well that is to say that Choice is a very crucial factor, and inhibition from making independent choices on the part of women is a major reason this silhouette challenge is a big debate in the first place. The widespread desire to box every woman into one square has been a hectic problem for years.
Expecting every woman to want the same things, behave the same way, aspire to the same things – it is a hoax and understanding that this is not obtainable might be the first liberating step you can ever take. Every woman’s choice is valid no matter how flawed it may appear to you and proferring better choices to her that do not hinge on ability to get married, would be the next best thing to shutting your mouth up and minding your business.
Understanding Women’s Choices.
Having said all these about making choices as an adult woman, here is me now telling you that this silhouette challenge is completely a choice thing and the choice of everyone who decides to participate or to jump and pass should be respected.
It is completely baseless to intimidate those that refuse to participate by calling them self-righteous, misogynist, or whatever else targeted at demeaning their choices. In the same vein, slut-shaming those who choose to participate and spelling doom for them is also not okay.
However opinions must vary and each reaction is still valid. Just know that no matter how much you believe or disbelieve in other people’s actions, you must not shove your opinions down their throat. That is a very verbal way of choking the breath out of a person.
Having cleared that table, let me now have this heart to heart talk with you. If you participated in this silhouette challenge or you are gearing up to participate, can you pause for a bit and really reflect on why you’re choosing to participate.
Why participate in the Silhouette Challenge?
Everything shouldn’t be about trending. Some things are quite sensitive and nudity is one of them. Let’s say you just want to trend, you mustn’t be naked sis. What happened to putting on some boy shorts and bra tops?
Okay you want to go nude and get the feel of pornographic, exotic content; have you decided what your end goal is? Do you plan to cinch a role in porn or nude acting? Or do you desire a no-holds-barred showbiz career like some of our Queens Nicki Minaj, cardi B, Beyonce, Rihanna, etc. This is also valid if that is your Desire, but are you even working on it? Auditioning, creating content, or are you still clinging to your office desk job to make a living while distributing your nudes on social media? Will you survive if you got fired from work?
We need to be very careful in our choices, work out your path and be ready to damn the consequences. Going nude publicly is not about being a feminist or an empowered woman. Many porn actresses are still experiencing misogynistic abuse and allow themselves get stuck in such abuse. They are not feminists but they go nude. So nudity is not all about empowerment – What Is Your Goal?
In the world will live today, the end justifies the means most of the times; that is why Kim Kardashian is a dashing success and so her s*X tape is past and forgotten. Had she crashed, the s*X tape experience would be used to haunt her forever, especially if she were in Africa. So what is your goal baby girl? Showbiz? Porn acting? Commercial sex work? Nude modelling?
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Personal branding is very key.
If you are not about to make yourself a sought-after brand, wading through all the backlash to soar, why do this challenge?
If your family, relationship, job, and anything else crucial to your survival would be hit by your distributing pornography, why do this challenge?
I will always say “No go do because others are doing“. You are not a lesser Woman by cladding yourself up. You are not less of a feminist if you decline to go naked. You are not a loser if you have no interest in showbiz, p*rn, lingerie modelling or commercial sex work. Don’t let anyone pressure you or deceive you. Appreciate the beauty of participants of the silhouette challenge, then jejely jump and pass.
If you have participated in this silhouette challenge and you regret it because it in no way progresses your career, or it has caused things to fall apart for you, don’t let the depression or frustration set in. You have to own your choice even if it turned out to be a mistake. Own it, forgive yourself and move on. Don’t let people shame you, they are not better than you. The sky is large enough, find your wings and fly.
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Shamer in Public, Sl*t in Private.
You dude, you have been everywhere shaming all the women who are exercising their freedom to use their bodies as they wish, and yet you rushed to go watch the videos which were manipulated to remove the filters thereby showing clear pornographic images – do you see your life? Are you not ashamed of your hypocritical self? Na you Dey bash them, na you still dey watch them. Your mental state is a critical complication and you are worse off than any person you are slut-shaming cuz you are a real slut at heart yourself.
And if you’re one of those manipulating these videos to remove filters, I hope you know it’s a criminal offence huh? The videos are not yours to doctor. You have no right to do that. No consent whatsoever from the owners. Any sane country would have you tried in court and prosecuted for revenge p*rn.
Any such video in its original form is the sole property of the owner and manipulating them to redistribute is illegal.
In a quick summary: Be critical about sensitive choices and own them when you choose them. Rise if you fall. Never consider yourself the worst, nor your self-righteous self the best.
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