Patrick Leigh-Pemberton: On #nomakeupselfies

No Make Up Selfies. There is a thing that really amazes me. Loads of cash has been raised by nominating people to take a picture of their own face, and give money to a specific charity. The brilliant thing about this, of course, is that everybody seems to think that the thing that has raised all this money is that people have been taking photos of themselves. They seem to ignore that it is in fact the donation of money that gets the money to charities.  But this is obvious you cry (you probably don’t, in fact, you’re probably already bored of engaging with an article that is not down with the kids, but hold on, I promise you it’s worth it).

Well, this may be true, but it is becoming an increasingly unobvious fact. It is now no longer one’s social duty to give money to charity unless challenged. We sponsor people to do amazing things. We attend glamorous/not-so glamorous/downright sleazy events in the name of charities. The industry that has developed out of this is a cynical one that is terrifying. I do not mean to knock all the fantastic things that are achieved by charity parties at St Andrews, but has it ever occurred to anyone that if KPMG, for instance, wanted to give all that money to charity, they would do so? They would be welcome to do so, rather than organising  a charity ball that really is a  recruitment platform for their tax dodging or small company-destroying departments?   In this way, the hard work of genuinely inspired students, and the values that they represent, are high-jacked by a cynical and utterly soulless company that only seeks to increase its profits at all costs. This may seem irrelevant to the opening paragraph of this article, but it isn’t, because there is an important parallel that can be drawn here. The campaign to raise money for charities seeking to combat cancer is one that is of highest importance. Very few people would suggest that there is an ounce of bad in this campaign but is this moral strength which is the most dangerous part of this No Make-Up Selfie phenomenon. I know that it started out as a bit of fun, and is treated by most, as a bit of fun, but the idea that a girl should think that not wearing make up for a photo is so outlandish that she has to be challenged to do it, is not a good idea. Many of you reading this article will say, yes yes yes, we know this, we are educated people, approaching a degree in the 21^st Century, and we have noticed this, and this tint of irony just makes it that much more fun.

Of course, you would be right. As long as you are aware of the dangers of this process, surely it will be okay? The answer to that is obviously no, it won’t be okay. Because we are meant to be the leaders of tomorrow (although, this is the first time I’ve ever used that phrase, and I feel sick), and there are other people, who might be more impressionable, who aren’t aware of this irony. The manner in which we, as a student body, have bought into an incredibly gender biased process, which states that girls wear make-up, boys don’t, if we reverse that, it is a challenge akin to doing a marathon, or performing good works in the community, is a dangerous and insidious one.

By all means give to charity, in fact, always give to charity, but don’t let your desire to do good cloud your judgement about all the means to that end.