The patriarchy did not tell me to take this picture to draw attention to my breasts, nor did I feel immense pressure from my female friends to do so. I support CRUK on a monthly basis. As someone who has lost their mother to cancer I support the shit out of any cause that helps to ensure that same thing doesn't happen to another 14-year-old girl, or a 90-year-old-one. #nomakeup started as a campaign to raise awareness of breast cancer, which a woman is diagnosed with in the UK every 10 minutes. Scary stuff, But it's grown into so much more. I know I texted my donation to CRUK (text BEAT to 70099 to donate £3) as I believe that all cancers deserve equal research and CRUK currently researches the cause and prevention of 75 different cancers. I changed the game, but I wasn't the first. CRUK has seen donations soar and at one time they had raised £2million almost overnight because of this campaign people are so quick to call 'silly' or 'stupid'.
This campaign isn't for everyone. If you don't have much of a sense sense of humor you will not have gotten involved as you probably take yourself too seriously. That's fine. No one's holding a gun to your head to make you do it, but if you want to bow out, do it gracefully without shitting on everyone who committed. Pontificating from on high is some serious girl-on-girl nastiness that I can't abide. And the men shaming us for our selfies can fuck right off. Those men who have gotten involved taking #fullmakeup selfies are great. Thanks for playing, boys. We should be celebrating the fact that millions of pounds has been raised for a very worthy cause. It's about the result, people. Remember that. The whole point was to raise lots of money for charity. Job done. So why are so many people so angry about it?
This campaign does not 'enforce gender stereotypes'. It's not even about that and people who are hellbent on shaming those of us who have participated can go kick rocks. Keep your money and feel nice and safe in your ivory tower where you can keep speaking out against charities raising money and women's faces. Nice.
Recently the 'cock in a sock' campaign has begun the raise awareness about testicular cancer and I don't hear anyone kicking up nearly as much fuss about that. As per, when boys do something it's cute, but us women, fuck that. 'How bloody dare those women take off tiheir fucking make up and donate money?!' That's SO much more ridiculous than posing naked with a sock on your genitals.
Can I also please point out that men get breast cancer too? So please stop telling me that it's about MY breasts. It's certainly not about MY testes and if your argument is so weak that you actually believe that the #nomakeup campaign is about drawing attention to my breasts to fetishise them, then you certainly have a different way of looking at the world and maybe you need to talk to someone.
There are bigger things in the world to get upset about. Poverty, world hunger, FGM, The fucking Malaysian Airlines plane, etc. My naked face and my motivation for putting it on the internet is not one of them. Calm the fuck down.
Tips for taking the ultimate #makeupfree selfie
1. Take off your make up
2. Find good lighting
4. Pull a face or smile
5. Enjoy it, it's FUN!
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