Mannequin Challenge
The most popular flash trend of this year was the Mannequin Challenge which was started by a group of American students.
It is a viral Internet video trend where people remain frozen like mannequins while a moving camera filmed them, usually with the song Black Beatles by Rae Sremmurd playing in the background.
The flash trend took the internet by storm. The videos of the challenge were posted by Hillary Clinton, the International Olympic Committee, State Duma deputies, well-known companies, brands and many celebrities.
#Mannequinchallenge live 🤘🏽❄️ pic.twitter.com/y0aUTIfyTn
— Swae Lee Lee Swae (@iHipsterLee) November 4, 2016
#harrypotterand
In April, a teacher at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, Arseniy Khitrov launched an entertaining flash trend called “Harry Potter and…”
The rules were simple: one needed to post a picture of a book or paper that they were reading and add a note to it which said “Harry Potter and…” The effect was comical because the titles ended up looking something like, “Harry Potter and…History of Azerbaijan” or “Harry Potter and…Search for Sexuality.”
#OneFingerSelfieChallenge
Another flash trend which went viral in 2016 was the #OneFingerSelfieChallenge which boomed after the publication of drawings by the Japanese anime artist Sky-Freedom.
The woman in the photograph is seen covering her private parts in a mirror reflection, using one finger only.
Many people after this image also started uploading their photos covering their privates using just one finger. Some were uncomfortable to take all of their clothes off but most of them were photographed completely naked.
Considering that Instagram has strict rules towards nudity, many pictures were removed since then but that does not stop girls even now.
#BackPackChallenge
Another viral video craze was called #BackPackChallenge. It involves one person running through the middle of a “corridor” of people holding bags.
As the participant runs through the corridor trying to make it to the end, those in the line swing their backpacks in an attempt to knock the person to the floor.
The Backpack Challenge Palmdale High School ❗️😂 pic.twitter.com/LTd0nzkRZz
— ひAbucci Woodひ (@abucciwood) November 18, 2016
#NoBraNoProblem
In late May, social media was taken by storm by girls from all over the world photographing themselves in clothes without a bra. The campaign was called “No bra, no problem.”
It all started when 17-year-old American, Kaitlyn Juvik, went to school one day without wearing a bra underneath her black top. Juvik’s vice principal called her and asked her why she wasn’t wearing a bra. Juvik said that she felt embarrassed and almost violated by the comments and later she wrote about it on her Snapchat which generated a lot of support for her.
Within weeks thousands of photos with the hashtag #NoBraNoProblem were uploaded online showing girls who have stood with Kaitlyn by posting photos of themselves without a bra.
