Why the no-makeup selfie brigade miss the point

    Holly Willoughby, one of the many female celebrities who took off their makeup for the campaign




I am at a complete loss to the #nomakeuposelfie campaign that has absorbed my Twitter and fb new feed this week.  It saw women post pictures of themselves on Twitter and fb  with no makeup on who asked people to text Cancer Research UK and make a donation to the charity.
 Scores of women posted pictures of themselves with no makeup on as though it is a tough task? Like they have done something groundbreaking. I'm all for donating to good causes but why not do something challenging like jump out of a plane or run a marathon - perhaps I would donate then. I am not inclined to in response to an armchair reaction of somebody who has taken a selfie and posted it on social media. Is this a campaign about fighting cancer or women's vanity issues?! Is it not a lot more admirable to be a cancer survivor than to show your support by simply taking off makeup ? - an action which is met by cringey replies of "wow you still look amaze babes"... By tomorrow their charity badges will be back in the loft gathering dust. The selfie brigade are in no doubt just following the latest trend, ultimately, it is disappointing to see that charity fundraising can be picked up loosely by so many, and many of whom have never even considered the work of Cancer Research UK before. 
The women who culled their makeup for a selfie raised £2 million pounds in 48 hours, which is of course great for the charity and can help fund their work in research and for caring for the many who have been stricken by cancer. But the sad fact is these contributions will soon stop coming and many who stood up in support will forget the charity ever existed.  What is needed is people who will dedicate themselves to donating on a more permanent basis, not this knee-jerk effort from have-a-go charity fundraisers who are copying what their friends did on facebook.They are not brave or admirable - they are simply hanging on to what is for them the coattails of the latest fashion trend. It is so concerning that this campaign has overlooked cancer and has centred on body image.