The new "Belly Button Challenge" that started in China and is now sweeping the Internet is now being slammed by experts.

The "Belly Button Challenge" began in China as young Weibo netizens got enthralled. Those who would want to partake in the challenge simply have to try and reach their belly button from behind and around the waist and post a photo or video of themselves doing the said challenge.

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If the participant is not able to do the challenge, then he or she is not fit enough or has a good figure; thus, the participant has to lose weight.

Thousands have already participated in the trend that began in China. Celebrities in the country, including Yang Mi, Zhang Jiana, and Huo Siyan, have also decided to take up the challenge.

The challenge reportedly began in China's version of Twitter: Weibo. The first photo, posted Wednesday, immediately began trending by Thursday night.

Apart from Chinese celebs taking up the challenge, it has also spawned discussion threads by the thousands, 104,000 active discussions to be exact, according to the BBC. The challenge then started spreading worldwide.

Users claimed that the idea for the "Belly Button Challenge" came from a "scientific study" from the United States, reported Headlines & Global News. Fit people have failed to do the challenge successfully.

"I can't do it either. There are three factors for achieving it. The first is the person is thin, the second is having long arms and the third is having good flexibility," Chinese local Xei Wie told People's Daily Online. "Apart from doing stretching exercises regularly, those who can successfully do this challenge are people who are very slim with very small waists."

The challenge appears easier to accomplish if one is slim, and this has started the controversy. The craze has since then been accused of encouraging unnecessary weight loss, according to The Irish Examiner.

Apart from the unnecessary weight loss, experts say the challenge also promotes unhealthy misconceptions about health and weight, which could then cause unhealthy eating habits, according to ABC Action News.

"Social media challenges like these can stoke comparison and body insecurity, especially for those struggling with disordered eating," Program Director Claire Mysk from the National Eating Disorder Association told ABC News. "We advocate for body positivity challenges, which are empowering and encourage self-expression, not self-criticism."

Experts added that the craze also promotes a biased view on beauty.

"Quirky poses and pictures can be fun, but sometimes they also become expressions of competitiveness or insecurity," said Singaporean women's rights group head Jolene Tan.

"If you can touch your belly button from behind your back, you could be in better shape than someone who can't, but you shouldn't have a false sense of security about your health. You might have a small waist and look healthy, but your blood work could show that you're just as unhealthy as someone who weighs 400 pounds," according to Philadelphia weight-loss specialist Dr. Charlie Seltzer.

Seltzer added, "If you can't do it, don't be completely freaked out."

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