Okay. So, today a childhood friend of mine tagged me in a post about raising awareness for women. It was a picture of her bravely displaying her beautiful face without donning a single drop of make-up. That's right! No mascara, no blush, foundation, etc...(and no ladies, lip gloss doesn't count either. No cheating). Now, upon further research, I discovered this is a very real campaign to not only raise awareness for women in general (which was my initial assumption, like a self-esteem "real women are beautiful" kind of thing), but, moreover, it has been claimed by some to be a call to action to further along research for breast cancer, to honor those who have been lost to cancer in its many horrifying forms, and to celebrate those who have beat cancer (both men and women alike). This is a wonderful thing. I for one, have had loved ones touched by the grim hand of cancer and kicked its a$$, lost dear friends, as well as, cared for a family member inflicted by the disease and literally held her hand as she was taken from us and closed her eyes when she was gone. That being said...I went ahead and posted a "No Make-Up Selfie" below in the comments section and though it felt good to be doing good, it was by no means an easy task to take on. (Come on, I put on make-up to go get gas for my car and took a shower, blow-dried my hair, and used a curling iron while I was in labor with my first child. And yes, I put on make-up too!). It took me a few minutes, but decided it was for a good cause, went in the bathroom, (which if you aren't aware is the "classic" selfie setting)... left my hair a mess, my face devoid of any traces of make-up, and took a picture on the spot. Huge move!!! Here's what we are talking about people....
Are you all grasping how difficult this was for me?
(Or any women who has ever risked running to the grocery store and
running into an ex-boyfriend looking a wreck for that matter?!?)
Now that we've established this, let me move on. You may think some of the things said so far are coming from a very shallow person. Maybe you are thinking all of this is coming from a girl who is somewhat "full of herself"...and in some ways I am, but not in the way it seems. In all honesty, women, like myself, who find it virtually paralyzing to go out in public with absolutely not a drop of cover on their face, are the opposite of conceited. We are, unfortunately, afraid to be seen without our masks. We do not feel "naturally beautiful" and so we create the "best version of beautiful" we can to feel good about ourselves. This is why campaigns such as "No Make-Up Selfies" are so popular, not to mention effective. Hello? Would I have blogged about Cancer Awareness at 2:30am had this whole thing not happened tonight? (No, I would probably be writing about the season finale of my favorite show on AMC! What's up Andrew Lincoln;) Anyway, as I was saying, I found myself admiring every friend who rose to the challenge and actually put up their bare faces on their social media accounts and found them to be more purely attractive than ever before. I was proud of them, (and will most likely ask them to post them under this blog on my fb page...or flat out ask if they would allow me to post them in this piece) as well as myself, for exposing our flaws and embracing our natural womanhood. What a brave and wonderful thing we did. Go us right? Well...here is just one example of the things being said about what we have done.
“nomakeupselfie is the biggest load of rubbish I've ever heard. How does putting a selfie with no make up on support cancer?” said one Twitter user @lilyaccot
First of all @lilyaccot...Twitter is lame and for people who want to hashtag after shows like "Naked After Dark" or "The Talking Dead"...Twitter is for famous people, media outlets, business pages, foundations, etc...and not for everyday individuals...Sorry to burst your egg...#notreallysorry
Maybe I'm being too harsh on Lily. We are talking about cancer. She could be a victim, a survivor, or mourning the heartbreaking loss of someone dear to her. With all due respect, I feel for you in any or all of those circumstances, as I previously mentioned, cancer is no stranger to me. However, it is within the intention of the participant that lies the desire to do something, anything, to help! To do what they feel is their part, however small, to get people talking. Believe me, what is small to one is mountainous to another. When Christian Bale visited pediatric cancer patients did anyone ask how much money he donated? (By the way, I'm sure he has donated more money than most of us see in a lifetime!)...We were touched that a celebrity would take the time to go and raise the spirits of a very sick little one who could not believe Bruce Wayne aka "Batman" was sitting at the edge of their bed talking to them!
“Some of the messages are about female beauty, female empowerment,” says social media expert David Spriet. “It could just be about vanity, and a lot of times the connection back to the cancer society has been lost in it all.”
Christian Bale shares love of Batman with young cancer patients.
Fact is, we all want to do something. We just don't know what to do half of the time. It is common sense that there is power in numbers. The more people who do anything to raise awareness, be it cancer, diabetes, heart disease, etc...Speaking of heart disease, I recently wrote about the "Red Dress" campaign to raise awareness. How often do you see women wearing pink ribbons on their lapels to show support of breast cancer? It is doing something rather than doing nothing. It is saying "I hear you", "I want to help you", or most importantly, "I care!"... What is so controversial about that? To call action based statements nothing more than "rubbish" is just plain nonsense. While both the US Cancer Society and the Cancer Research UK have acknowledged "No Make-Up Selfies", they have come out and said they did not endorse such a campaign. However, take a look at what the director of communications across the pond did say....
I know, I know...She said it on Twitter...My point is she was gracious about it.
Speaking on behalf of CR UK, she showed appreciation and added to it
by taking the opportunity to let people know how and where to donate.
Did you know to text that number? Now you do. I know it thanks
to my friend who took a chance and prompted her friends to as well.
Check out this social media "expert" opinion on the matter....
“Some of the messages are about female beauty, female empowerment,” says social media expert David Spriet. “It could just be about vanity, and a lot of times the connection back to the cancer society has been lost in it all.”
I hear what you're saying David Spriet, President at Modern Media (really I do), and it is a point to be considered. However, have you read about the millions of dollars raised since this began?
Tyra Banks without Make-Up
Not only can she raise awareness for a great cause...
but can raise the self-worth of so many young girls
who wonder why they don't look the way magazines
make them think they should!
(Disclaimer: I think Tyra's purpose in going natural was for a self-esteem campaign. Either way, she is so brave for doing so and just as beautiful..in a roll out of bed scary kind of way. (You know, the way most of us look in the morning!) She is such a great example and couldn't pass on the opportunity to use this photo! A celebrity such as her, (whose fame came, in large part, due to her experience as one of the greatest fashion models ever) and her picture is anything but vain. It was raw, real, and revealing! xo)
When you get people talking, you are usually doing something right. (Unless your sleeping around with married men...then you just have a bad reputation, everyone talks behind your back, and no one wants you around lol!)...But seriously, show your naked faces. If nothing else it creates a buzz and a buzz leads to articles and blogs with more information.
Speaking of which, if you'd like to donate to cancer research here are a list of sites to look into:
On a more personal level...You may also want to check into sites such as
www.gofundme.com The number 1 do it yourself charity site in which you can actually put a face, name, and story to the person you are helping through what is not only a physically, emotionally, heart-wrenching and tumultuous battle, but a financial one too!
Doing something is better than not doing anything...and KEEP THOSE SELFIES COMING!
Jessica J.
Anna G.
Stacey D.
Lisa S.
Ruttina S. and her adorable little boy!!!
Thank you to all of the beauties who agreed to allow me to use their photos for this piece. And a special thanks to Jessica J. (featured first), who brought this cause to my attention and encouraged her friends to be brave for awareness!
