The empowering beauty of the 2009 vs. 2019 photo challenge

Here's why this meme is so resonant

An aging female.
(Image credit: Illustrated | javarman3/iStock, Sylverarts/iStock)

My first thought when the 2009 vs. 2019 photo challenge began to go viral over the weekend was: Oh god. To participate in sharing pictures of myself now and from a decade ago required descending into the mental catacombs where I'd laid to rest memories of my 16th and 17th years, and I couldn't imagine willingly resuscitating them, much less airing them for the world to see. Why, I sulked as more and more friends piled on, would I want to revisit all that?

The meme, which is also called the #HowHardDidAgeHitYou challenge, or alternatively compares photos from 2008 to 2018, initially began to emerge at the turn of the year, but has significantly picked up steam over the last three days. It has now reached that level of "viral" where it seems inescapable on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram — everyone I know, from my Alabama-based cousins to my friends from high school in Washington state to my colleagues in New York City, is participating. And while I initially cringed at the thought of posting a picture of my awkward high school self, the more time I spent looking at other people's posts, the more I realized I'd gotten the whole exercise wrong. The 2009 vs. 2019 challenge, rather than being an embarrassing visit to the past, is instead a beautiful and empowering practice of self-appreciation.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.