Since going viral, the "A4 Waist Challenge" has prompted people to compare the size of their waists to that of a piece of paper. The challenge started in China, where it is considered to be a "fitness challenge", but has somehow made its way over to America, where it is considered unattainable and dangerous.
Just to put it into perspective:
An A4 sized sheet of paper is 8.5 inches in width...
...keep in mind, the average waist size of a woman is approximately 34 inches in width. As a result of this, a debate on beauty standards sparked after pictures of these women holding up A4 sheets of paper to their waists went viral.
By encouraging this challenge, we are encouraging the development of eating disorders. Eating disorders are among the top mental disorders with the highest death rates. Such disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. For more information on these disorders, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has fantastic resources on their website.
There has been a series of viral challenges over the years:
The Ice Bucket Challenge was initiated to raise awareness about ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which is a neurodegenerative disease that attacks the nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.
The Condom Challenge was a tactic to show the durability of latex condoms and to promote safe sex.
Though not as thoughtful as some of the other challenges, the Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge, is a viral internet challenge that somehow tricked the general population into stopping the blood flow to their lips, in order to create this swollen effect that will get them the "full" Kylie Jenner lip look without the pocket breaking surgery.
And last, but DEFINITELY not least, here is our most recent internet challenge. UNICEF is asking that we sit our phones down for just five minutes for the Tap Project. For every five minutes we do not use our phones, one day's worth of water will be donated to a family in need.
Of all these viral challenges, though some less thoughtful than others, the A4 Waist Challenge has to be one of the most dreadful, perilous ones. As a result, people have taken it upon themselves to post pictures to express their objection to the "paper thin" look.
Check out more images, or submit images of your own on Twitter under #NotPaperThin to help this movement go viral!
