selfies

Galen

I was happy to donate to BEAT so what's the point of the selfie?

I've heard of this campaign but what is BEAT?

Why not? My body is not pretty but I'm almost 70!
Come on.
Sponsor me!
If I can get £1000 pounds, I'll do it!
I've sent a thing to GNHQ to see if they'll set it up.
I suppose it's a bit of ' calender girls' but with smaller buns!
Come on friends!
Let's raise some money for cancer awareness . This means earlier diagnosis and therefore higher cure rate!

Yes, I know it's a gimmick. Just saying I find such gimmicks distasteful. I expected that to be a minority view so I am not surprised by the reaction here.

I'm pleased that awareness is being raised, though I find it surprising that people need to be made more aware of baldness and other effects of cancer treatment. I thought everyone knew already. I wish fundraising could be done in a better way, without reinforcing silly ideas about how women (should) look.

Posing topless or shaving all one's head hair off to raise funds for such a cause would be brave. Not wearing make-up isn't.

I'll sponsor you, galen. I'll shave all my head hair off if you lot sponsor me.

I'll sponsor you Galen and you too Bags

Agree about the 'brave' thing Bags.

I am going to seem very precious here but I respect both Galen and thatbags far too much to ask them to do this. Not that I think either will look anything but beautiful I hasten to add but I will guarantee a small donation to both of them to use whichever way they choose (Galen did say we might prefer to sponsor her not to.)

It was started last year by celebrities that usually appear with full-on makeup. This would appear to be a bit of fun for girls who normally wear a lot of makeup but look stunning without it
I normally give money to Leukaemia and Lymphoma research because my son has had Hodgkins, and because a wonderful headmaster and mate of mine died last year of Leukaemia and another friend has just had a recurrence of her life -threatening leukaemia after 5 years remission. This charity and Cancer research fund a lot of important research some of which is leading to new non-chemo drugs. I recently heard that there is a new drug that can be used to treat Hodgkins if it relapses which is wonderful news as previously my son had had everything possible flung at him to stop it in its tracks.

I don't think there is anything wrong with using social media to raise funds. Enormous sums can be raised for worthwhile causes, through the power of social reinforcement (people are more likely to do something if they think everyone else is doing it.) If I donate to something I share it on FB in the hope that others will see it and maybe donate too.

What is distasteful is young women thinking there is something brave in not wearing make up.

This is real bravery. drkategranger.wordpress.com/2014/03/16/dear-cancer-part-3

Galen and Bags* I will sponsor you both, but Bags please don't shave your head. Do a marathaon archery session or something.

"What is distasteful is young women thinking there is something brave in not wearing make up."

Exactly.

The archery marathon is an interesting idea, but it wouldn't be brave to do that. Also, it would hurt and I take enough bloody painkillers every day already.

Head shaving has the advantage of being painless, of letting me make some more vitamin D, and of ennabling me to wear a Buff beanie whenever I want to keep my head warm.

I can make vitmain D with my scalp skin, can't I?

I'll sponsor both of you. But I'd never do it MiceElf.

I have done it although it took me ages to work out how to do a 'selfi' I donated and according to reports yesterday evening they have raised a million so whether its bad taste or not it is raising money and awareness. No one has to join in that doesnt want to. If you get an invite you can decline but my daughters and daughters in law all did it so I thought why not.

I am in agreement that no-one is forced to do this - I have done it and donated well above the suggested amount- all it is, is a bit of fun in order to highlight a serious issue and raise money to help support it - I cant even begin to think that this is bad and certainly the concept of being 'brave' just to leave make up off has never crossed my mind. It might be gimmicky but gimmicks tend to be the best marketing tool and clearly with the money raised it has worked!
I have a rare and serious and potentially fatal condition and look far from my best a lot of the time and I am not offended by other people doing this - if the money raised helps people (and lets face it, it probably wouldn't have just been donated), it has to be good - its done exactly as it was intended.

I'll gladly make the donation, but you don't have to strip (Galen) or shave your head (Bags) to persuade me.

expect hate mail on face book but here ? goodbye

?

What??

? From me too. Like everyone else I donate to cancer charities. I wouldn't want anyone to voluntarily shave their hair off unless they really want to. It's cold having no hair.

seaspirit I have searched back through the threads you have posted on recently and can't find any hatemail. Unless I have missed something it must have been in a PM. That happens sometimes Disturbed souls with nothing better to do join GN just to send twisted messages to posters. If you are still there, report the pm to GNHQ. They have ways of tracing where it came from and will take the right action.

You text BEAT 70099 and donate £3, Aka. It's linked to the selfie campaign.

I like your argument, wallygrom (we called one of our grans Grom ). I've also just read this piece in the Spectator in which the writer argues that the "selfrighty" as she calls it, is just a form of narcissism. I can see both sides of the debate and I understand them both, but in the end I'm still left with a bad taste feeling that we, our society, needs to use "marketing tools" to raise funds for research and to raise awareness of the plight of others.

So maybe that's all it is with me: a feeling of discomfort, of wrongness about modern 'marketing' of things that I don't feel should have to be 'marketed'.

And I still don't like the idea that not wearing make-up in public is worth commenting on, let alone advertising on social media.

Please someone tell me I'm not the only one who's so confused! Perhaps I am over-thinking it all.

I agree with you, Bags. I felt pressured last night on facebook by a relative who nominated me. She put her selfie on which I have a hunch took more than a few minutes in front of a mirror practicing the pose and I'm sure I could detect a bit of subtle make up!! She then instructed me to 'Get on with it' when I dithered.

I donated so I didn't need a guilt trip as well.