A bizarre social media trend swept the world over the weekend: throwing slices of American cheese at babies’ faces and posting their reactions.
The prank, which is accompanied by the hashtag #cheesed, was started by @unclehxlmes on Twitter where he “cheesed” a baby in a since-deleted Tweet.
Some have cheesed their moms, dads, girlfriends or dogs instead, with the dogs definitely more receptive to having a piece of cheese thrown in their faces.
In the case of the babies — some smile through the cheddar, some try to eat it, and others look visibly confused. Certain #cheesed videos of have garnered hundreds of thousands of views on Twitter and Instagram.
Children’s Rights executive director Sandy Santana cautioned parents about the challenge, but said it didn’t amount to abuse.
“This phenomenon is not child abuse and is generally not meant to harm the child, ” she said. “But parents should, first and foremost, treat their children with care. Throwing cheese at helpless babies can, in some cases, shock them and lead to unnecessary discomfort. Is that really worth a few social media likes?”
Model Chrissy Teigen was unimpressed with the challenge, and posted her opinion to Twitter. “I love a prank as much as anybody, but I cannot get myself to throw cheese at my adorable, unsuspecting baby who has all the hope and trust in the world in me,” she said.
However, New York mom Lauren Jorgenson participated in the challenge and said the phenomenon was harmless. “You gotta learn how to live a little. He isn’t upset,” Jorgenson said of her baby. “It’s not like I threw a bag of flour at his face. We all have our different ways of parenting, mine’s just a little cheesy!”
