People are 'removing' the red filter on Silhouette challenge videos and it's not OK
1 February 2021, 13:22
Chloe Bailey doing the Silhouette Challenge
Important conversations about consent are being raised after people started 'removing' the red light filter from the Silhouette challenge videos.
It's only been one month and TikTok has already given us two showstopping challenges in 2021. First the 'Buss It' challenge, and now the Silhouette challenge.
Much like the 'Buss It' challenge, the red light silhouette trend involves a transition where the person goes from 'innocent' to 'sexy' on the drop of the song. Think Beyoncé in that stunning 'Partition' video scene, but on a budget.
The trend has gone viral, with celebrities like Chloe Bailey and Tiffany Haddish and Common even getting in on the action. But now people are warning others about doing the trend naked, or partially naked, because it's possible to edit the video.
According to Daily Dot, one person has already been accused of removing the 'Vin Rouge' filter to reveal users' nude bodies without their consent and reposting them on Twitter.
As you may have seen, some users have decided to take part in the Silhouette challenge by appearing nude in their videos, knowing that they would be covered because of the black silhouette effect.
Unfortunately, there have now been reports that people are editing the red lighting to make the original image underneath appear a lot clearer. While you cannot 'remove' a filter once it's already been placed onto the video, the video itself can be edited.
Google search for 'How to remove red light filter' has shot up since the Silhouette challenge went viral. One reddit thread detailing how to remove the filter has also already been deleted, as well as a Twitter account called @redlightremover.
People have been reacting to the editing of the videos and are raising important points about consent when it comes to nude silhouette challenge videos. One Twitter user wrote: "This whole #silhouettechallenge conversation just shows once again, way too many of you don’t know what consent really means."
I just think this silhouette-removing filter conversation exposes just how much several men still do not understand consent, and still victim blame (“don’t put your videos on the internet then”) despite years of educative conversations around it.
— Folake (@CiCiheartsyou) January 29, 2021
Asking women why they did the #SilhouetteChallenge if they didn’t want the filter stripped and their nudes posted without their consent is the exact same as asking why someone went to a party, dressed a certain way, was out late, or got drunk if they didn’t want to be assaulted.
— sin-manuel miranda (@actuallyitsrene) January 29, 2021
This whole #silhouettechallenge conversation just shows once again, way too many of you don’t know what consent really means.
— Jem & The Auntiegrams (@auntieindica) January 28, 2021
If you see any Silhouette challenges on TikTok or Twitter that have been edited without the original poster's consent, you can report them in a few quick steps.
On TikTok, you can tap on the arrow in the bottom-right of the video and then tap the Report flag on the bottom-left.
On Twitter, you can tap the three dots icon located at the top of the tweet. Tap 'Report Tweet' and then select why you are reporting the tweet.
