TikTok “Silhouette Challenge” warnings issued as red light filter removal videos abound

Women cautioned each other against partaking in the “Silhouette Challenge,” a viral TikTok trend that was met with a mass effort to remove the videos’ signature filter, exposing many users’ bodies without their consent.

Set to a remix of Paul Anka’s “Put Your Head On My Shoulder,” the Silhouette Challenge typically begins with female TikTok users appearing in casual clothing. As they strike a pose, the videos seamlessly transition into a red light filter, which obscures their oftentimes barely clothed figures.

The trend drew thousands of versions and parodies, including by men and celebrities. The Silhouette Challenge was widely viewed as promoting body positivity and empowerment, as plus-sized and disabled women felt motivated to participate. The challenge’s popularity also prompted tutorials demonstrating how to flawlessly execute a silhouette transition with the red filter, which originated from Snapchat.

However, the trend soon took a predatory turn. After some internet users discovered a method to edit the filter into revealing women’s bodies, brightened versions of the videos were soon shared online. Tutorials on “removing the red filter” have appeared on YouTube, garnering thousands of views.

A review by Newsweek found at least a dozen YouTube videos outlining step-by-step methods to bypass the filter’s obscurity on image editing applications and software. Some content was flagged as “made for kids.” One YouTube user posted a video of himself reacting to a compilation of “Silhouette Challenge” TikToks, some of which were edited to reveal fully nude women. The video, posted Tuesday, was viewed at least 1,300 times.

Newsweek has contacted YouTube for comment.

According to a report by BuzzFeed, a subreddit titled r/SilhouetteUnfiltered was banned from Reddit. Two Twitter accounts that shared edited videos were also suspended.

Newsweek has found several instances of Reddit users sharing links to messaging service Discord promoting doctored “Silhouette Challenge” videos and compilations.

Following the invasive edits, women on TikTok began warning each other in comment sections of existing “Silhouette Challenge” videos, as well as filming themselves cautioning against participating in the trend without taking necessary precautions.

“Ladies if you do this trend please color the black,” one user warned in a top-liked TikTok video. “Everyone can screenshot it and edit it to turn the brightness up and see everything.”

In a video of her own, TikTok user @lostvsnryshots advised those looking to take part in the challenge to ensure they are wearing clothing that will not render them vulnerable.

“Just make sure you’re being cognizant of what you’re wearing,” she said. “Because anyone can easily take those images and revert them back to the original.”

“So if you’ve done the ‘Silhouette Challenge’ or you’re thinking about doing it, this message is for you,” user @jayyjess said in a TikTok video. “Number one, don’t do it naked. Number two, if you don’t want people to see you in your underwear, don’t do it at all.”