Oxford’s £16,000 #nomakeupselfie

Teddy Hall student’s £16k fundraising enough to run local Rape Crisis hotline for 6 months


You’ve probably had #nomakeupselfies clogging your Instagram, Facebook and Twitter feeds for the last couple of weeks. Self-righteous or genius, there is no doubt that it works, having raised over £8 million for Cancer Research UK.

But one DPhil student from Teddy Hall decided to use the social media craze to amplify her voice, and it has been heard. After being attacked at one of Oxford’s nightclubs, she took to her Facebook to post her take on the #nomakeupselfie.

A supermodel’s #nomakeupselfie

Lady Gaga took part in the viral craze

But the DPhil student was not primarily concerned with raising awareness for cancer. She took to her Facebook page to post a ‘selfie’ of her bruised and battered face, pronouncing “I am sorry cancer research, but my #nomakeupselfie is for a different cause.”

Jeanne was subjected to violent abuse in a nightclub, being assaulted by a man and punched seven times. But she wanted her approach to be positive, deciding to “channel my rage into something constructive.”

Jeanne Marie bravely took to Facebook to spread awareness of her attack

Her brutal photo went viral and has since raised over £16,000 for Oxford Sexual Assault & Rape Crisis centre. Her intial aim was to raise £100, but the huge windfall secures the hotline’s running for six months, or pays for 25 women to partake in their support groups for six months.

A representative from the Rape Crisis centre has commented on the fundraising success, “This level of support is incredible, and clearly shows both the shared outrage felt by the public at what happened to Jeanne Marie and the understanding of the need for services like Rape Crisis Centres.

“Securing funding to keep our services running is always a challenge. The donations will provide a real boost to our work and enable us to maintain our existing services – supporting over 350 women and girls who have experienced any form of sexual violence at any time in their lives via our confidential helpline, email support and support groups – and develop new ones that fill current gaps in service provision in Oxfordshire.”

If you would like to donate to Jeanne Marie’s cause, click here to visit her Just Giving page.

To find out more about Oxford Sexual Assault & Rape Crisis centre and the services they provide in Oxford, click here to visit their website.