The Don't Judge Challenge

I have a real problem with something on the internet. This is going to be somewhat of a ranty post, so if you don't want to read it, skip past it and read something on here a bit happier. Or youtube some kittens. Win-win.

I'm aware that the internet is a wonderful place that makes a lot of people happy and such, but it's also a place to allow people to feel bad about themselves. There has been a recent trend circling, which I think started from Twitter and has slowly made it's way onto Facebook and other social media platforms. This trend is the Don't Judge Challenge. I have seen so many of these videos floating around, and annoyingly the trend won't die, but my tipping point was my little cousin taking part in the challenge and posting it on her Facebook page for the whole world to see.

Now, my little cousin is a beautiful little lady, she always has been. If you had to put us side by side you wouldn't know that we were directly related, given her clear even skin, long thick blonde hair and slim figure. It's kind of unfair actually, but shan't complain.

This new trend has people make themselves look "ugly", generally by drawing on spots/blemishes, wearing glasses and drawing facial/body hair. They then cover and uncover the camera and in the blink of an eye they have turned into a "beautiful" person, posing and winking into the lens. That is pretty much the entirety of this challenge.

I think when it started it was supposed to be a way of saying don't judge a book by it's cover. But to me, that's not what it's saying. What it's saying is a lot worse than that. This challenge says that people don't think they can be beautiful with spots. Or with blemishes. They can't be beautiful with glasses. They can't be beautiful if they have hair in the "wrong" place. They can't be beautiful unless they look like they've taken three hours to get ready in the morning. This challenge is just people making themselves look unpleasant and then changing into what they deem to be beautiful for an excuse to pose and smile to the camera.

This is wrong.

The only thing these people are doing is enforcing the idea that beautiful is a one size fits all stereotype. When in fact, it is the complete opposite. Beauty is not for someone or some thing to decide, and it is certainly not as as simple as black or white.

The people doing this challenge need to realise that it's doing more damage than good. All the people out there who have a problem with spots or acne, have unwanted facial hair or need to wear glasses are having it reinforced to them by the world that they are considered ugly. They are the before stage and they have not reached the next stage yet, the beautiful one. They are the ugly duckling, the book that was judged by it's cover, and they have still to transform into something beautiful.

Nope. Nope. Nope.

Fuck this challenge. Seriously. I've seen some pointless things online but this is right up there with some of the worst things I've seen. I cannot wait until this challenge just disappears. The quicker it happens, the better.

Sorry for the huge rant there, but it's been grinding on me for the last few days now. I'm probably thinking way too much into it, but it just got to me. If anyone agrees (or disagrees) let me know, I'm curious to know how other people are perceiving this challenge. I might just be a grumpy lady who can't see the fun in it, you never know.

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