The #nomakeupselfie.
So chances are we’ve all seen it. Our Facebook, Instagram and twitter feeds are flooded with posts of beautiful ladies who have dared to go bare faced to raise money for cancer awareness. There are even gents who have put some slap on to show some support! (My other half has been nominated, I’ll unleash my inner makeup artist later on!)
I got nominated to do it a few days ago, and I just thought “yeah yeah, this won’t take off” until my phone started going crazy. I was getting tagged left right and centre, and of course I read the posts and liked the pictures of all my friends posting these pictures. It wasn’t all pictures though, links about self checking for breast cancerand donations started popping up too.
There were negative posts saying “what do you actually hope to achieve by posting your face without makeup? A selfie won’t cure anything” but something as simple as a cheeky wee selfie has sparked something huge, with cancer research reporting donations of over £1 million in just over 24 hours. And I’ll bet that a lot of women (and men!) will have done a self check or at least read about how to do it.
(Source @CR_UK on twitter)
I raise money mainly for Strathcarron Hospice, a charity very close to my heart, but cancer is something which I believe has affected everyone in some way or another. I have lost family members to it, I have friends and family who have gone through it, and I know people who have found something through self checking and gone to do something about it.
This campaign has not only benefited Cancer Research Uk, but also Breast Cancer Campaign and Cahonas Scotland.
It has also, to me, become about natural beauty. I didn’t like how I looked without make up, and rarely would I go without, despite my boyfriend telling me I didn’t need it (bless him). I thought I looked blotchy and tired (which I do). But I look that way because I work hard, and that’s not such a bad thing! I’d rather be how I am, than always look perfect but feel like I’d achieved nothing.
So here’s my no make up selfie, and it’s not something I look at and think “oh goodness, I can’t believe that’s on the Internet, soooo embarrassin” because I did it for a good cause, and if it encourages another person to donate to charity, get a check up, or just embrace their own natural beauty, then I’d say its worth it.
Emma
Xo
If you would like to donate, you can do so using the links throughout this post, or through text:
Cancer Research UK text “beat” to 70007 to donate £3
Cahonas Scotland text “male 33 £3” to 70070 to donate £3
I think these texts also charge you network rate for the text.
eLikes 