Everything you need to know about the Sensual Selfie Challenge
*Starts Monday, October 18
Here's how it'll work:
You'll get your first sensual selfie prompt by email on the 18th. Included with the prompt will be a photo for you to be inspired by, an affirmation to take with you as you take your selfie, journal prompts, and a few tips to help you get your best shot.
You take a sensual selfie inspired by our host's photo for the day, giving it your unique flair.
You post your sensual selfie on Instagram using the hashtags #thesensualselfiechallenge and #mysensualself. These hashtags will help us find each other and celebrate the other sensual babes doing this challenge with you. You can also tag @evyan.whitney and @sensualselfiechallenge to be featured.
We’ll all repeat these steps daily from Monday 10/18 to Friday 10/23.
To make sure you don’t miss anything. . .
Follow me on IG: @evyan.whitney
Follow the official Sensual Selfie Challenge account: @sensualselfiechallenge. I'll be spotlighting your selfies here and sharing more info about the challenge.
Follow our hashtags #thesensualselfiechallenge and #mysensualself so you can stay connected to the community
. . .
I’ve created some resources for you to guide you as you participate in the challenge. Scroll to be taken to:
How to stay safe on Instagram
Tips to help you take your best sensual selfies
Your questions, my answers
How to stay safe on Instagram during the Sensual Selfie Challenge:
I've done this challenge twice before and in full transparency, participants have had their photos and even their entire accounts removed without warning for not following IG's guidelines. I'm not writing this to scare you but to illustrate just how radical you taking up space with your body and sensuality is and to also encourage you to play by the rules as much as you possibly can.
It's very very possible to take a beautiful, successful sensual selfie without violating Instagram's guidelines. We just have to be creative.
What I'm about to share isn't foolproof because Instagram's guidelines are confusing and contradictory. But I've learned over the years what's allowed on Instagram and not—both through trial and error and through back and forths I've had with the folks at Facebook.
Please read the following carefully, keep this email in your inbox, and use it as a guide as you're playing along with the challenge next week. You're also welcome to look at Instagram's and Facebook's community guidelines.
Nudity is questionable. I know a lot of the sensual selfies on this page feature me being nude and/or strategically censored, but a lot of those photos were posted during SSCs 3+ years ago and simply wouldn't fly today. Per their guidelines, it seems that IG is allowing some forms of nudity on their platform but I've seen "allowed" nudity get taken down before—especially from folks whose bodies are fat, queer trans, and/or Black. To be on the safe side, err on the side of caution and keep your clothes on and visible in your sensual selfies.
No censoring of body parts with emojis or blurs. I know Playboy and certain celebrities can get away with it but we common-folk are not allowed this privilege.
Keep your poses "tame". I've been told that holding a breast, for instance, as a way to censor it or even licking your finger can be considered of a sexually explicit nature. (I know, it's ridiculous.)
Close-ups of things like cleavage, bulges, bottoms, even your abs can also fall in the category of sexually explicit. I'd advise against them.
Do not use the hashtag #sensualselfiechallenge when tagging your photos. If you're an OG to this challenge, you know we've always used #sensualselfiechallenge in our captions. But in the years since it was created and with how popular it got, spammers and creeps have taken over this hashtag with content that goes against IG's guidelines. I worry that if we use it, it'll shadowban our content and accounts. I could just be being paranoid, but better to be safe than to be sorry. If you want to use a hashtag in your caption that mentions the challenge, use #thesensualselfiechallenge instead. You'll know it's the right one because the safe hashtag has very few posts on it, while the unsafe hashtag has 30,000+ posts on it. We'll be using the one that has very few posts on it.
Make your caption give context to your selfie. I've noticed that sensual selfies that are captioned with things that speak to the body-positive, self-loving, and unashamed nature of the photo might make it less likely that someone will flag it for removal.
(I'd like to say, for the record, that all of this shit is beyond ridiculous and it makes no sense that we have to do this. I also want to make mention of all the sex workers out there whose content and livelihood are fucked with daily because of these asinine rules, which is all due to FOSTA/SESTA.)
I want to reiterate that it's still very possible to have your content or account removed if you follow these and IG's rules, but everything I shared above could make it less likely that that happens. That said, because we're doing this on a platform that is whorephobic, sexphobic, anti-Black, etc., and isn't transparent about their rules and regulations, by choosing to play along with the Sensual Selfie Challenge you do so at your own risk.
And I'll say this too: If this is a risk you're not comfortable taking, you do not have to post your sensual selfies on Instagram. There are plenty of people who have participated with the SSC offline and have had lots of fun with it. Go with your own comfort levels.
Tips to help you take your best sensual selfies
Whenever I talk about sensual self-portraiture—either when I'm just talking to friends or teaching a workshop about it—this is the first question that gets asked. They want to know about the best ring lights to use, my favorite apps to put filters on my photos, or poses to make your body look bodacious.
I could give you all kinds of recommendations about this stuff, but I'm actually more interested in guiding you to connect to yourself and your body before, during, and after you take your sensual selfie.
So here are my tips for that.
Before you take a sensual selfie, get into your body by:
Taking some mindful breaths
Taking a bath or shower
Self-pleasure (if that's your thing!)
Touching and massaging your skin
Drink some water (or wine)
Eat something delicious (chocolate, juicy fruits,
Putting on some music and moving your body
Taking an inventory of how you're feeling about your body
Putting on something (body oil, your favorite robe, highlight on your cheeks) that makes you feel yourself
Say some affirmations—try, "I am a sensual being"
Going through each of your senses and paying attention with them—i.e., What am I seeing right now? Smelling? Tasting? Hearing? Feeling?
During your sensual selfie photoshoot:
Play music that helps you feel yourself
Touch your body
Light a candle or incense
Breathe into your belly
Take your selfies in a lot of light
Look into your eyes through your phone; give yourself some love, appreciation, gratitude
Surround yourself with things that bring you softness—flowers, plants, pillows, soft fabrics, etc.
Move your body
Take up space with your body; try poses that aren't your typical—spread your legs, raise your arms, hold your belly, get closeups of your scars and skin
Also: Don't look at your selfies after you take them. Just keep snapping photos until you feel complete
After your sensual selfie photoshoot:
Journal (you’ll be given journal prompts with each sensual selfie prompt)
Have a dance party
Take a bath
Drink some water
Eat something delicious
Go outside and breathe in fresh air
Feel your feelings; be with them as they are
Go for a walk
Self-pleasure (if that's your thing!)
Share a favorite selfie with a friend/partner
Also: When you looking at the selfies you took, pause for a moment and really see yourself. Look at your body, your skin, your face and try to not judge what you're seeing. Instead, see if you can just witness yourself without making any meaning about what you're seeing.
The last thing I'll say is that it's normal to feel a little awkward or frustrated while or after you're taking your selfies. This work isn't just about getting a pretty photo, we'll also be in the vicinity of reckoning with the look and feel of our bodies, with any narratives we might have around shame or judgment about our bodies or sensuality, with feeling like we're not enough or doing a good job.
Sensual self-portraiture can bring up a lot, and I encourage you to do your best to give yourself grace, space, and compassion as you explore this. Show up as you are and give yourself acknowledgment about how much courage that takes. I promise you, you are enough.
Answering some of your questions
What exactly is a sensual selfie?
A sensual selfie is an energy and intention you bring into your photo that says, "This is me taking up space without apology." It's an intention captured on film (and with the help of a caption) that highlights your softness, your radiance, and you being in your body. A sensual selfie is not about nudity or being sexy. It's an outward expression of you being present with your sensual self.
Who is this challenge for?
The Sensual Selfie Challenge is for anyone who is sensual—so, basically you. All bodies, genders, and expressions of sensuality are welcome.
What if I wanted to post a sensual video or reel instead of a photo?
I'd love that! Sensual selfies are not just designated for still photos. Make this challenge your own and give it your unique flair. We'd love to see it.
Do I have to do all 5 days of the challenge? What if I miss a day?
It's totally fine if you miss a day! I get it, life gets busy and taking a sensual selfie might be the last thing on your mind some days. But I'd love to see you challenge yourself to show up to each of the 5 days—even if you do them late. I have a feeling that you'll have some beautiful moments of connection with yourself when you show up to it daily. So, do your best and also remember why you gravitated to this challenge in the first place.
Do I have to be nude in order to participate?
Definitely not. We actually discourage it because of Instagram’s tendency to censor content. A sensual selfie is not about nudity, and many of our participants in the past have shown up to the challenge in ways that feel comfortable to them—including being fully clothed.
That said, some participants, including some of our sensual guides, will do the challenge “scantily clad” and if you choose to go that route, please be stay within IG’s guidelines (I'll be sending out an email tomorrow that goes over best practices to help you stay within those guidelines).
Whatever you choose to do, always go with your comfort levels!
What if I don’t want to post my selfies on Instagram?
That's totally fine! Lots of folks have found enjoyment in doing the challenge without an audience. You could also create a finsta account just for the purpose of this challenge where you post your sensual selfies anonymously, that way you can be seen and be a part of the community. Totally up to you!
Can I post my selfies on another social media platform, like Twitter, Tumblr, or Tiktok?
Sure! Just make sure to use our hashtags #thesensualselfiechallenge #mysensualself.