The latest trend surfacing itself from the internet has young girls participating in sucking the air out of glasses (or whatever circular object they can find) to get the "Kylie Jenner" look. Because of course Kylie Jenner is the only person ever to have big lips. While some of the videos are quite entertaining to watch, it's clearly a stupid thing to do because of the health implications. Besides the possibility of tearing your lip, many people on social media have been concerned that the challenge is actually racist.
It has been pointed out that not so long ago, we were taught to hate these features. Nneoma Okorie wrote on her Twitter, "Don't forget, these are the features they tried to teach you to hate".
Don't forget, these are the features they tried to teach you to hate. #kyliejennerchallenge pic.twitter.com/4jisjJiuFS
— Nneoma Okorie (@NnesCorner) April 21, 2015
Black women have been ridiculed for centuries because of their features and have now become ignored as Elle dubbed the trend "Kylie-esque". The lips that came from the racist illustration of the picaninny are now being imitated by young people today, although perhaps not intentionally. Features that black women have had for years are now accepted just because a white girl made them trendy. Because of this, the history that black people (especially women) went through has been forgotten. This isn't to say that people can't plump their lips, just don't associate Kylie Jenner with the creation of big lips.
Unlike the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge this doesn't raise money for charity, it's simply a mindless trend that has come out of social media sites. So, before you try the #kyliejennerchallenge, think about the connotations behind the hashtag.
