Body Image: "Sheet of Paper Challenge"

This paper challenge is really something. The paper challenge started on Weibo (which is a china version of facebook). How it works is women would hold a piece of 8x11 printing paper in front of their waist. In order to "successfully" win the challenge is if the sheet of paper can cover their mid sections. That is when the use of the hashtag of #A4WaistChallenge started. With people starting this challenge it can really cause other women to have problems with self confidence about their bodies. Even though it started on Weibo, with social media words can by around really quick.

As quoted on newsy by Melissa Prax titled "Asian Woman Are Pressured To Be Petite, And This Trend Proves It" states, "Women on social media are showing how slim they are by comparing their waist to the width of a sheet of paper... And not surprisingly, there are critics. Some are calling it unrealistic and even disturbing." (Prax, 2016).

Quote by Joseph

However, later on others started making fun of the challenge. Instead of using a women's body or a human body, the use of an animal started by putting the sheet on their backs or letting animals hold on to a sheet of paper. As quoted on tech.mic by Jordyn Taylor titled "This "Sheet of Paper" Challenge Is the Internet's Lastest Body-Shaming Trend" states, "Thankfully, not all social media users are taking the A4 Waist Challenge so seriously." (Taylor, 2016)

Next time before posting these challenges they should think about who would get affect first. As quoted on hellogiggles by Anna Gragert titled "This new "paper challenge" is super dangerous for young women's body image" states, "While we find many Internet challenges to be fun and engaging, this is one that has been taken too far. Because all bodies are great bodies, and a piece of paper should't dictate otherwise." (Gragert, 2016)

Image Credits

1. "Wall quote from Chief Joseph" by Shashenka. Image in the public domain. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wall_quote_from_Chief_Joseph.jpg 

Information Credits

          Gragert, A. (2016, March 17). This new "paper challenge" is super dangerous for young women's body image. Retrieved April 05, 2016, from http://hellogiggles.com/paper-challenge-wtf/

          Prax, M. (2016, March 17). Asian Women Are Pressured To Be Petite, And This Trend Proves It. Retrieved April 05, 2016, from http://www.newsy.com/videos/asian-women-are-pressured-to-be-petite-and-this-trend-proves-it/

          Taylor, J. (2016, March 17). This Bizarre Social Media Challenge Is Going Viral for One Disturbing Reason. Retrieved April 05, 2016, from http://mic.com/articles/138176/this-sheet-of-paper-a4-waist-challenge-is-the-internets-latest-body-shaming-trend#.a7ENkwVGd