If you’ve scrolled through Instagram or TikTok lately, you’ve probably noticed a flood of purple profile pictures taking over your feed.
Over the weekend, people around the world started turning their profile pics purple in solidarity with Women For Change, a South African-based non-profit calling for real action against gender-based violence and femicide.
So, what do the purple profiles pictures actually mean?
According to Women For Change, the colour represents support for their latest campaign — a nationwide shutdown and global solidarity movement ahead of the G20 summit on 21 November 2025. The organisation announced the campaign on social media last month, writing: “Until South Africa stops burying a woman every 2.5 hours, the G20 cannot speak of growth and progress. We demand that Gender-Based Violence and Femicide be declared a National Disaster. Not tomorrow. Not at another summit. Now!”
The call to action asks South African women and LGBTQIA+ people to take part in a full-day shutdown — no work, no shopping, and a 15-minute standstill at 12pm to honour the 15 women murdered daily in the country. Globally, supporters are being encouraged to change their profile pictures to purple to amplify visibility ahead of the day.
This campaign isn’t just about updating your profile pic. On 21 November, Women For Change is asking people to take part in a full-scale economic and social protest. That means no paid or unpaid work, no spending money, wearing black in mourning, and physically lying down for 15 minutes at noon to bring cities to a standstill. Supporters are also using the day to sign petitions, attend planned gatherings, and share information about gender-based violence online.
Across social media, the movement has gathered momentum well beyond South Africa’s borders. Celebrities like DJ Zinhle, Bonang Matheba, and Nomzamo Mbatha have all joined in, swapping their profile images for purple in solidarity. South African–raised singer Tyla has also shown support online.
Australian creator Kat Clark spoke to her audience on TikTok about the cause, explaining, “In just one year, 6,000 women in South Africa have lost their lives due to gender-based violence. Now, as a mother with a South African daughter and someone with a platform, I do feel like it’s my responsibility to speak up on this.
“On the 21st of November, women in South Africa are going to stand together and shut down… And if you’re not from South Africa but you still want to help, you can do that by simply changing your profile picture to purple.”
While the movement has drawn praise for raising awareness, some online commenters have criticised it as being performative — suggesting that changing a profile picture isn’t enough to make a difference. Others have pushed back, arguing that visibility is a crucial part of solidarity and allyship.
One TikTok user responded to the backlash, saying, “I’ve changed my profile picture to show I stand in solidarity with the victims. I’ve changed it to show I am angry, and I am hurt.”
The purple icons across social media may look simple, but they’re part of a bigger message: until gender-based violence is treated as a national emergency, South African women will keep finding new ways to make their pain — and their power — impossible to ignore.
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