One Finger Selfie Challenge — Black and white mirror selfie of a blonde woman using one finger to censor her nude body while taking a photo

One Finger Selfie Challenge

2016photo faddead

Published September 19, 2026

The One Finger Selfie Challenge is a 2016 photo fad in which participants took nude mirror selfies while hiding their private parts behind one finger positioned near the lens. It grew from a 2015 Japanese tweet into an anime illustration that revived the pose a year later, becoming one of the strangest viral dares of late 2016.

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Overview

The trick asks the participant to strip in front of a mirror and place one finger close to the camera so that, in the reflection, that single digit covers both the chest and groin at once1. Pulling it off takes careful angling because the finger has to sit near enough to the lens to appear large enough to block both areas, while the body stays farther back in the mirror2.

Many people who tried it did so fully or partially clothed, using the middle finger as a joke variation or photographing their finger up close so it filled the entire frame3. Others drew the pose rather than shooting it. Teen Vogue flagged the fad as a body-shaming risk because commenters could grade whether a participant's chest or midsection actually fit behind one finger2.

Origin & Background

Platform
Twitter (Japan) / Pixiv (anime revival)
Date
2016

The pose was first shared on April 11, 2015, when Japanese Twitter user @okataiko posted a woman's nude mirror selfie with her body hidden behind a single finger4. The tweet racked up more than 4,000 retweets and favorites in its first 12 hours before being taken down, and Chinese Weibo users mirrored it widely6.

More than a year later, on August 16, 2016, Malaysian Chinese artist Sky-FreeDom drew an illustration of the Love Live! Sunshine!! character Chika Takami performing the same pose, uploaded to Pixiv and Twitter6. The anime version brought the pose back into circulation and set up the wider imitation wave that followed.

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How It Spread

On November 22, 2016, Japanese Twitter user @9fgF reposted Sky-FreeDom's Chika illustration and asked whether the pose was actually possible in real life, drawing over 4,880 retweets and 4,700 likes in the following week and prompting a wave of real-life attempts6. Chinese outlets picked up the trend as image compilations soon after.

The English-language name arrived on November 27, 2016, when Brazilian Twitter user Vinícius Curi posted a compilation and coined the tag "1 finger selfie challenge"1. The same day, YouTuber Aimee Davison uploaded an age-restricted tutorial that pulled more than 670,000 views in its first week5. Complex and the Daily Dot ran write-ups within 48 hours, framing the fad as anime-inspired1.

On November 28, Teen Vogue warned about the body-shaming angle and the legal risk for underage participants2. Two days later, French Huffington Post writer Claire Hervé documented a wave of joke entries from users who were intimidated by the nude aspect, showing people flipping the middle finger fully clothed or shooting their finger so close that it filled the whole picture (translated from French)3.

Timeline

2015-04-11

Japanese Twitter user @okataiko posts the original nude one-finger mirror selfie, gaining thousands of retweets before removal.

2016-08-16

Malaysian Chinese artist Sky-FreeDom uploads an illustration of Love Live! Sunshine!! character Chika Takami in the same pose.

2016-11-22

Twitter user @9fgF reposts Sky-FreeDom's illustration asking whether the pose is possible, drawing over 4,880 retweets in a week.

2016-11-27

Brazilian Twitter user Vinícius Curi coins the name '1 finger selfie challenge'; YouTuber Aimee Davison uploads a tutorial video.

2016-11-28

Teen Vogue publishes an article flagging the fad's body-shaming and legal risks.

2016-11-30

French Huffington Post covers a wave of clothed-and-middle-finger joke entries reacting to the trend.

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How to Use This Meme

To attempt the One Finger Selfie Challenge, participants typically stand nude in front of a mirror and hold one finger close to the camera lens so the finger and its reflection align to cover both the chest and groin in a single shot1. Common joke variations include using the middle finger while fully clothed, or shooting the finger so close that it fills the entire frame3.

Frequently Asked Questions