Society’s beauty standards are getting weirder by the day. In the case of this newest viral trend, putting small fish into your collarbone area is the latest sign of “fitness” in China. *facepalm*
The “Fish in Collarbone Challenge” has caused a stir on the internet, with people attempting to create their own versions. The fish used in this challenge are tiny, usually gold fish which can be bought at pet stores. The purpose of this “fitness” trend is to highlight one’s collarbone — which, to some, is a symbol of a good physique or physical fitness.
This challenge that started in Weibo, one of the microblogging platforms in China, has received negative responses from social media users due to 1) unrealistic beauty standards that have stemmed in China and are now making waves in other parts of Asia, and 2) animal abuse (enough said!)
Here are some of their comments:
Since showing off skeletal frames and having deep clavicles are becoming a fad, younger generations are resorting to unhealthy diets to fit into this bizarre beauty standard. This challenge has been causing problems for these people such as mental health issues and eating disorders.
In a related article, senior psychologist Akshay Kumar said people are obsessed with how their bodies look due to cultural and historical influences.
“People are obsessed with how they are seen! Being skinny is considered sexy. Our fitness regimes are being defined by popular culture rather than health metrics. And this pop culture association brings us to the questions as to why, to who, and for what are we showing off our bodies by undertaking these weird, dangerous, and completely unnecessary challenges” he said.
On the other hand, this can be stressful for fish which are being used in this craze. These poor fish might be dropped onto the floor, or forced to swim out of these small collarbone areas without oxygen source just for the sake of clout.
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