TikTok users warned over sinister ‘silhouette’ challenge
A warning has been issued over TikTok’s new “silhouette” challenge after it was revealed the clips were being used in a very creepy way.
If you’re anything like us and spend hours on TikTok every evening, then you’ve probably already come across the “Silhouette” trend.
The viral challenge shows women embracing their curves by posing against a door frame in their underwear while a dark red filter highlights their silhouette, The Sun reports.
Hundreds of videos using the #silhouettechallenge have racked up over 231 million views on TikTok.
At the start of the clips, users usually film themselves in comfy clothes before turning the lights off, stripping down to their underwear and striking a sexy pose in front of a dimly-lit doorframe.
However, several TikTok users are urging women not to pose nude or in their underwear after discovering creepy YouTube tutorials which help people remove the red filter.
Earlier this week, photographer Kai Lee – who runs the account lostvsnryshots – told women to think twice about stripping down in the videos.
She explained: “I keep seeing the Silhouette Challenge on my For You page, and even though they’re all really cute and creative and y’all look bomb in them, just make sure you’re being cognisant of what you’re wearing before you actually do all the editing for the final product.
“Because anyone can easily take those images and revert them back to the original.
“So if you’re wearing a bra and panties, or if you’re nude, or whatever you did before you applied the editing to create that shadow look, just know that it’s really easy to just put it back to the original.”
What’s more, the Rolling Stone’s culture writer EJ Dickson explained how they’d also seen tutorials on YouTube teaching people how to edit the videos.
They tweeted: “Obviously not linking, but there are videos all over YouTube offering tutorials for how to ‘remove’ the red filter for TikTok’s Silhouette Challenge, in which women dance nude or partially nude in silhouette.
“This is a huge consent violation and YouTube should remove them ASAP.”
Literally my mentions have been flooded with dudes saying these women deserve it and I've been blocking people left and right so I guess do your worst gentlemen
— Ej Dickson (@ejdickson) February 2, 2021
Danyelle Thomas – who runs the Unfit Christian blog – also shared a warning for her followers about the challenge.
She wrote: “Men are currently removing the vin rouge red filter from the silhouette challenge. This is readily happening across social media with little community violation response by Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, or TikTok.
“When reminded that this is gross, creepy, and nonconsenting, men respond that women are always finding ways to make themselves victims and they shouldn’t have been naked on the internet.
“Yes, the same men going through extraordinary lengths to be creepy are finger wagging women about what they shouldn’t put on the internet.
“Because of all of the things men lack – including ethics and boundaries – they’re never short on audacity. This is when rape culture, misogyny and patriarchal malarkey combine.”
This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission