by Isabelle Welch
The 'no makeup
selfie' fundraising phenomenoem has led to an exponential interest in cancer. Unfortunately,
it has also sparked a cancer awareness vs. narcissism debate: is it a fun way to
increase awareness of a good cause or a publicity scam masquerading as
fundraising? Either way, the viral trend has been a success for charity, resulting
in donations of over £2 million within just 48 hours.
According to the Independent,
Cancer Research UK received more than 800,000 text donations in 24 hours after the
initial sharing of the donation code on a variety of social media pages. Twitter
reported that in 24 hours it had 83,000 mentions; Instagram saw 59,000
posts from Thursday to Friday.
The trend
continues to grip social media, with an announcement made by Cancer research
UK, that over £2 million had been
donated to its cause by Friday.
Recently, you
will have found your newsfeed subject to even more selfies than usual, as girls
post barefaced pictures in a bid to raise money for charity. Alongside their
photo, girls post the hashtag #nomakeupselfie and a nomination of their chosen
friends to ‘bare all,’ thus continuing the viral chain.
Many have used
their no-makeup selfie to recognize someone battling the disease or in memory
of a loved one.
Celebrities such
as Beyonce and Holly Willoughby have followed suit, posting their own pictures
to help the trend gather momentum.
The “selfie”
craze has not been without criticism. Commentators have questioned the
intentions of women, especially of the more high profile posts, suggesting that
self-promotion rather than charity was the underlying motivation. Ironically, for
Beyonce, having posted her selfie which proclaimed to be her “just rolled out
of bed look”, was heavily criticized for her arrogance.
Blogger Yomi
Adegoke was also quick to focus on the more cynical aspect of the posts, saying:
“You can’t help but wince at the fact uploading a picture of what you actually
look like is now being deemed ‘brave’, especially when being held up against cancer.”
Irrespective of
the motivations, real or otherwise, if we are to look at the net result, one of
society’s greatest challenges – the race to find a cure for cancer –has
received a phenomenal boost in publicity and donations and women around the
country, many of whom are high profile public figures, have dared to bare all
for a good cause which could be described as a charitable act in and of itself.
To support Cancer Research UK text
BEAT to 70099 to donate £3 or visit www.cruk.org
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