#selfie

Over the last few weeks we have seen the "no makeup selfie" flood social media in a cancer research campaign. I must admit that i was initially one of the cynics questioning how taking a selfie could possibly benefit cancer research. Moreover, the countless photographs taking over my facebook news feed was starting to hugely irritate me! Of course there are many girls out there who have posted the selfie just to demonstrate how good they look without makeup with very little consideration to the cause. However, the benefits that this craze has had for creating publicity and raising donations cannot be ignored.

The campaign has raised over £2 million for cancer research; a huge achievement! What's most impressive is that this craze was not organized by anyone involved in the charity or media but grew naturally from ordinary women. It demonstrates how in the connected world we live in, individuals have the power to do incredible things!

Gibson, a lecturer at Nottingham Trent, commented, "This campaign has captured the imagination. Very rapid communication like this has never been faster in human history, but you have to be careful". She warned of the dangers of the campaign that the message might be lost in transit. However, surely in a campaign like this the message doesn't always have to be clear? Half of the success of the campaign has been in getting people talking about it; about the selfie, the cause, and the donation. The questioning and communication is what has raised the profile and made this craze quite so successful.

Moreover, there are successes of this campaign on a more personal level which must be considered. Many girls have commented on how difficult it was to take a natural picture, without makeup and countless filters. My friend and i ourselves joked that we only deem a picture of us fit for public consumption after we have covered it with 2 filters. It is therefore refreshing to see so many young women daring to bare their faces and risk criticism in the name of cancer research. Perhaps it will spark a new trend of women loving themselves rather than feeling the need to hide behind photo shop and inches of makeup. Natural beauty.

Sources: 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-26683817