A new challenge

You’ve probably seen the influx of black-and-white selfies from celebrities and friends alike while scrolling through your Instagram feed this week. Last time I checked, the hashtag #womensupportingwomen has been used more than 8 million times.

Like many others, I was curious (and maybe a little skeptical) and wanted to know the origins of the “challenge.” The exact order of the resurgence depends on who you ask. It turns out the hashtag originated in 2016 to raise awareness about cancer and recently resurfaced in Brazil, the United States, and Turkey.

Earlier this month, a Turkish woman named Pinar Gültekin was brutally murdered by her ex-boyfriend. Women in Turkey are using the hashtag to raise awareness about the femicide occurring in their country and to stand in solidarity with the hundreds of Turkish women who are killed every year at the hands of their partners or relatives.

While there is continued debate about the origins of this hashtag, I’m of the mindset that now that all 8 million of us are here, why don’t we use this as an opportunity to educate ourselves about the plight of other women?

To be clear, I am pro-selfie (see camera roll), and I work at Ellevest because I love to see women supporting women (we need more of that). But are we really supporting each other if we aren’t making sure that women — especially women of color — are not left behind when movements go viral?

Here are three ways I am challenging myself to support women+ IRL:

How are you challenging yourself to support women+ right now? Let me know here.

Air hug,

Alexandra Ramirez, she/her
Brand Marketing Director

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