Stop whinging about #nomakeupselfie, it’s genius

My Facebook feed is currently split 50/50 over the no make up selfie craze sweeping social media.

Half of my ‘friends’ are complaining that the viral trend is merely a way for girls (and some men) to pander to their own vanity and show the world they still look great with no make up on. The other half are either actively involved, photographing and donating, or condoning the actions of those who are.

I think this dichotomy is false, and whether deliberate or not the craze is absolute genius. In fact, I think the anger at this craze is both irrelevant and unhelpful. From what I have seen there is sway to the suggestion a lot of people are taking the photos simply to show how good they look ‘naturally’, but who cares if they’re donating to charity.

I sure as hell don’t mind a few pouty selfies when over two million has been donated to cancer research in 48 hours, and the vanity seems to be one of the key factors in the success of the craze.

From what I have seen, the #nomakeupselfie trend is so popular and has been so widely taken up because it allows the perfect combination of vanity and ‘altruism’. You can donate to charity whilst making yourself feel great – the ideal combo. Comparing it to Comic Relief, the similarities can be seen.

debatably natural

Is the satisfaction from receiving dozens of likes on a selfie showing your Facebook contacts how beautiful you are without mascara on WHILST donating to charity that different to the sense of self-satisfaction you get from donating after crying at videos of starving African children during Comic Relief?

No one complains about that because it is contained, it remains within the home and beyond a few tweets lamenting the state of the world (often accompanied by meaningless and often made up quotes from past celebrities) most stay quiet on the fact they really donated for the feeling that they are benefitting the world and at the same time making themselves feel better about their comfy middle class western lives.

The selfie craze is no different, it’s simply public. Swap the satisfaction of knowing you’re helping an impoverished family in the Sudan for the feeling you’re aiding cancer research, just with the added bonus that the world knows how hot you look in your bathroom with no eyeliner on.

So quit being all VICE and whinging about how #nomakeupselfie is simply self-promotion, because regardless of whether it is or not, it has raised a mental amount of money and is really not that different to any public charity scheme. Either get involved, or keep quiet, your moralising and lamentation are both unhelpful and unnecessary.