#DontJudgeChallenge Goes Wrong, Teen’s Face Stained Black-Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
A teenager’s face was stained permanently black after she colored it with a Sharpie marker for the “Don’t Judge Challenge” on social media.
The Truth:
A fake news website started this hoax.
The story was published by the website TMZToday under the headline, “#DontJudgeChallenge Goes Terribly Wrong Leaving Florida Teen’s Face Permanently Black.”
The Don’t Judge Challenge was launched to bring attention to “body shaming”:
The hashtag #DontJudgeChallenge has taken off on Instagram, Twitter and Vine this month with users posting photos or videos of themselves with drawn-on unibrows, acne or other physical features often the targets of body shaming. Then, they wipe off their “flaws” to reveal what’s underneath.
TMZToday falsely report that the challenge had gone “terribly wrong” for a Florida girl who colored her face black with a Sharpie marker and posted a selfie:
Internet trending #DontJudgeChallenge goes terribly wrong for teenage Farrah Marshall of Pinellas Park, Florida when the teen attempting to do the YouTube challenge. The challenge calls for participants to mark their faces with “ugly markings” using make up or markers designed for the skin. Once the participant appears on camera with the undesireable, the participant then transitions into a more attractive person. The challenge has been heavily shared on social media and has been performed by thousands of people.
Unfortunately for Marshall, the challenge did not go as planned. The teen used a Sharpie permanent black marker and colored her entire face pitch-black. When the teen tried to wash the marker off of her face, the color would not fade. The teen then dialed 911 and was rushed to Northside Hospital. According to Marshall’s mother, Sarah, she will have to undergo skin graft surgery, removing skin from her back and buttocks to replace the skin on her face. “It’s truly a tragedy. Now her face is black forever all because of a stupid challenge. I hope kids learn from her mistake” says Sarah.
Sarah has set up a GoFundMe account to raise money to help her daughter fund the cost of surgery. Because Farrah will be having cosmetic surgery, it is unfortunately not covered by her health insurance.
The story was shared tens of thousands of times on social media sites, but there’s no truth to it. TMZToday (which is not the same as TMZ, the celebrity tabloid site) states in its disclaimer that its stories are “a combination of real shocking news and satire news.”