Above is a video of a Mannequin Challenge in the White House. Tracee Ellis Ross had a good plan in mind, but unfortunately the execution by all parties failed. A bunch of famous people visited the White House Tuesday to receive a Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama and, as it happens, some of them decided to do the challenge.
There are a few problems with this. First, Robert De Niro immediately ruins the moment by blinking. Seconds later, Ellen DeGeneres does the same. And the concerto soundtrack in the room makes the video decidedly unhip (there’s a reason Rae Sremmurd’s “Black Beatles” is the chosen background music for the challenge, people). But such is the case when adults get a hold of things made for cool teens. See: Paul McCartney’s lame solo challenge. Not even Michelle Obama could fully pull off the challenge with the Cavaliers because LeBron James couldn’t help blinking.
The great thing about young humans, on the other hand, is their incredible commitment to not blinking and looking cool while doing so in an effort to make cool internet videos, especially those of the viral variety. For better examples of the Mannequin Challenge, I point you to: nearly every teen on Earth who’s done it, the video made by Riley Curry’s parents, these valiant little kids and this extremely disciplined dog. Among the few adults who’ve pulled it off, there’s Erykah Badu at the Soul Train Awards, Blac Chyna except for Rob, and Destiny’s Child. Hillary Clinton’s version was also pretty decent.
