#10yearchallenge, a campaign highlighting issues you should worry about

The trend started on social with users posting their current profile pictures next to one from 10 years ago

BEIRUT: The #10YearChallenge - posting a new photo of yourself next to an old one - is being repurposed by social media users to highlight more serious issues than ageing faces, from climate change to the devastation of war.

The trend started on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter with users including celebrities Jennifer Lopez and Ellen DeGeneres posting their current profile pictures next to one from 10 years ago.



But users quickly flipped the theme to photos spotlighting global concerns including climate change and the destruction wreaked by a war in countries including Syria, Yemen, and Iraq.

Others took to social media to post side-by-side photos of melted glaciers and changes from the ocean floor, highlighting the impacts of climate change.

Syria’s #10YearChallenge :broken_heart: pic.twitter.com/8rK74DERaP

— Muniba Mazari (@muniba_mazari) January 16, 2019

The real #10yearchallenge? Climate change. According to @IPCC_CH #SR15, we have just over 10 years to #ActOnClimate before we cause irreparable damage to our planet. Take our free course on #ClimateAction and become a part of the solution. Enroll now! https://t.co/puzQgIiUoQ pic.twitter.com/Ujz7kEAnoH

— The SDG Academy (@SDG_Academy) January 14, 2019

A lot can happen in #10years! With your help, over a million more hungry children are now enjoying Mary's Meals every school day. #10yearchallenge pic.twitter.com/G9MPzcYNHp

— Mary's Meals (@MarysMeals) January 17, 2019

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That which took nature hundreds of thousands of years to create, humans have destroyed in less than ten. 😥 This is the saddest #10YearChallenge you’ll see today. . @danielbeltraphoto . . . #SaveTheAmazon #Amazon #rainforest #forests #tropical #deforestation #10YearsChallenge #10Years #nature #photography #Greenpeace #environment #activism

A post shared by Greenpeace International (@greenpeace) on Jan 17, 2019 at 11:25am PST

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This is the truth about the #10YearChallenge. This is the Arctic 100 years ago vs Today. . . . #10yearschallenge #worldismelting #climatechange #greenpeace #nature #beauty #iceberg #peopelvsoil #environment #photo #photography

A post shared by Greenpeace International (@greenpeace) on Jan 16, 2019 at 11:42pm PST

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#Coral #PhotoChallenge A 10 year photo challenge that REALLY matters. . Coral reefs are dying at an alarming rate all around the globe. They need our help. We are dedicated to saving ALL life on our planet, including corals. . One Life, One Love, One Planet www.PlanetLoveLife.com . . . #planetlovelife #seathelove #lovelife #coralreef #corals #reef #protectwhatyoulove #10YearChallenge #10yearphotochallenge #coralrestoration #savetheplanet #ocean #cleanseas

A post shared by Planet Love Life (@theplanetlovelife) on Jan 16, 2019 at 11:20am PST

 

One user posted photos purporting to show Syria in 2009 and 2019 to illustrate the impact of the nearly eight-year-old civil war that has killed half a million people and forced more than half the country’s population from their homes.

“While the internet is bombarded with celebrities posting #10yearchallenge pictures, they seem to ignore the fact that their own elected government has destroyed, cultural & residential areas of great value in past 10 years,” posted the user.

Nazanin Boniadi, an Iranian actress and human rights activist who has fought against her country’s ban on women attending soccer games, posted images of her fight for human rights in Iran.



“My kinda #10yearchallenge. Still at it and I don’t plan to stop. #Humanrights #Iran,” she wrote.

Some members of the LGBT+ community used the hashtag to speak about their personal challenges and struggles in society over the years, among them the trans campaigner and filmmaker Fox Fisher.

“Look at this sad face 10 years ago. Shows how lost I was,” Fisher posted. “So happy that life got better. Trans people never stop being trans so please support them. #10YearChallenge #DecadeChallenge.”