To Have Said This

[NurseyWursey]

A woman on my facebook has just posted a 'selfie' of herself with no makeup with the caption 'I am doin this selfie with no make up on to raise awareness for cancer .. if your tagged in this then u have been nominated to do it'

I posted asking how exactly this is raising awareness for cancer.

Have had loads of inboxes of abuse from random people saying I'm evil and obviously don't give a shit about cancer

I too would sooner the posts were something more practical. At least the lemons one gives signs of things to look out for wrt breast cancer. I end up posting stats and stories of people I know who have suffered from cancer when the stupid 'let's confuse the guys' emails start coming round.

My family has been hit hard by various cancers over the years, mostly female and thankfully very few losses. The worst was my cousin in law leaving behind her husband and 3 daughters, one just 6 weeks old.

Today my dad is going to find out exactly what he is dealing with. The people who post this shit genuinely do not have a clue, cannot envisage the utter devastation of a diagnosis like that.

I got 'nominated' for this. No way in hell am I letting a vile pic of me circulate the World Wide Web. I have issues with selfies on principle.

I also saw someone bare their bra covered boobs to raise awareness for breast cancer. Slightly more relevance but still.

It's all over my facebook, stupid people doing selfies, look at me, look how awful I look without makeup. Then all the following comments, you look great hunny bunny, yuk.

Think I will be using the delete friend button a lot today, these people have no idea!

Completely irrelevant but I've had a few 'friends' post selfies of them looking like a dogs arse the morning after to show how good the night was.

I despair sometimes.

My goddaughter posted one of these yesterday - but her mum died of cancer last November, so I can absolutely understand why she's done it.

I never wear make up anyway, so any pictures of me on FB would 'count', but I am not going to do it, as I tend to think that these sort of things do little to raise awareness. I particularly hate the 'If you don't do this, you don't care about cancer' sort of posts (or the similar ones - if you don't share this, you hate puppies/your children/don't care about poverty). My MIL has secondary lung cancer, and we've just been told there's no more treatment she can have, and her time left with us is limited - so believe me, I do care about cancer - but I am not going to blurt it all over FB, just because someone wants to try a bit of emotional blackmail!

That turned into a bit of a rant - sorry!

I have worked for cancer charities and have mixed views about these social media campaigns. I get the ones that raise money, obviously. I also get the ones that have a particular call to action - raising awareness of symptoms, how to check yourself etc. But I don't get posts like this I'm afraid as I don't think they achieve anything. I mean, we all know cancer is awful.

Trambamploine I just stole your words for my selfie. I was bored

Going without make-up didn't seem to cure my Mums cancer.

Thank you OP!
I get very weary of 'campaigns' like this. My mum died of cancer last year - it was very sudden and turned her from an energetic 63 year old into someone who couldn't breathe without an oxygen mask in the space of 3 months. The time between diagnosis and death was 4 months.

During this time our office had a 'wear it pink for breast cancer!!!' campaign to 'raise awareness' of breast cancer. Ladies - and gents!!! - were encouraged to wear pink, a team made pink cakes and someone in the USA even had a pink wedding!!! All this... did bugger all to stop cancer. Nobody did any fundraising, nobody offered health screening, just a load of middle aged women in feather boas making a few sad faces about all those 'brave' ladies 'battling' the disease.

How I didn't go mad with a shotgun is beyond me. It's all very well if these campaigns are doing something - even asking for a quid to raise money for cancer research or whatever, but posturing about in pink, putting quasi-risque statuses on facebook or whatever isn't going to actually do anything.

There was quite a nice picture on FB a while ago showing a woman and a child, obviously starving, and surrounded by (photoshopped) upraised thumbs. The caption was 'Liking isn't the same as Helping'. Indeed.

to all those who are going through the mill at the moment.

Everyone's AWARE of bloody cancer. But that doesn't do anything really, does it? Raising money for research, now, that's different.

It really pisses me off when I see 'look at how caring I am' posts like this... a few relatives have done this and I am definitley thinking 'go and give blood/register for Anthony Nolan' if you really want to help, but I know they wont

I work in health care in the community. One of my patients, who I saw yesterday was a lovely chap with cancer of the oesophagus which has spread everywhere. He's had a chunk of his nose and his chin removed and has lumps all over his scalp.

I came home to facebook full of these 'selfies' with captions along the lines of "OMG, I look so awful, but it's for a good cause' followed by 'awww hun, u luk gawjus'

My poor patient looked awful. They just need to get a grip.

I go for a subtle/passive aggressive response to these by posting a comment such as 'clicked on you pic, but couldn't see the link to donate - which charity are you supporting so I can go direct?' or 'don't forget to gift aid it!' which usually seems to at least make people think a little bit about the purpose, or lack of purpose to what they are doing.

I saw someone on wall getting really really angry this morning because she'd done the "selfie" nominated people to do the same and they'd not done so. Apparently these people "don't give a shit about cancer", or maybe they just have a life and haven't got around to it yet, or maybe they don't want to.

I don't think I have ever taken a " selfish" ( loving that term) .
Obviously I hope everyone gets cancer and dies!!!!
This stuff really bloody annoys me - I helped a close family
member with small children through breast cancer, double mastectomy and a long recovery last year . All without posting a photo of my bra, knickers or zitty face on a social media site.

Causing some arguments on hear these selfies wi no make up on, wether it's raising money or not, peoples just showing some respect for the people who av got cancer, there's bin millions off pounds raised for cancer research n still they can't find a cure, so wether it's making money or not it dnt make a difference,it's called respect

I had to bite at this.

Oh, ok, as someone with cancer, people are showing me respect by posting selfishes with no make up? That really helps me, thanks all!

NurseyWursey

All the logic and reason in the world won't penetrate that kind of attitude - the idea that because no cure has yet been found for cancer (which is a ridiculously simplistic statement in itself), that it doesn't make any difference whether people bother to raise more money or not boggles my mind in a really depressing way!

Right, I have secondary breast cancer. Not only do I not want 'respect' shown, or 'awareness' raised by thick hunnies plastering selfies all over the internet, but I resent how they kick off when their less dim mates refuse to join in or give them enough 'likes'.

If they want to give a shit in a meaningful way they could support their rl friends, or by donating to a reputable charity.

Yup Ariadne exactly!

Biting my tongue at selfishies today too.
After reading this thread I now want to be nominated sothat I can use some of these responses!

I've just flipped. I really shouldn't have but I couldn't help myself. It was this 'well for us girls to not wear makeup it's actually a massive deal so we're doing a bit of good by being brave and not putting any on'

BEING BRAVE?? DOING GOOD??? ARE YOU FOR REAL??

And can I say to all cancer sufferers and their families, I'm sincerely sorry you have to see stuff like this. I really am.

Haaaa! Nurseywursey what did you reply?

'You think you're BRAVE do you? You think you're brave because you managed to scrape the crap from your face and let us see? Have you any idea what REAL bravery is? Bravery is battling cancer and holding it together for your family, bravery is going through chemo knowing it's going to make you wish you were dead, bravery is watching your family suffer but staying by their side, bravery is having part of your body removed and still managing to face the world - so please do continue with how BRAVE you are. You're doing no 'good' at all, don't try and kid yourself. If you'd like to do some real good for those with cancer, I can make some suggestions that don't include you flaunting yourself fishing for likes. No? Thought so.'

I ranted.

NurseyWursey you totally rock!