For about a week now Facebook and Twitter have both been overrun with selfies of girls wearing no makeup. At first we were all a little confused, but things got increasingly clearer when we realised that the photos were part of what became a viral campaign to raise money for Cancer Research UK. No one is quite sure how the #nomakeupselfie trend started, although it has incredibly raised £8 million (over $13m) so far. Not bad for free advertising that Cancer Research UK didn’t even initiate themselves!  The power of social media, eh?

jemima khan no make up selfieJemima Khan is the latest celeb to post a no makeup selfie

Never a bunch to miss out on taking a photograph of themselves for their fans, the celebs have recently been getting involved. The latest addition is journalist and campaigner Jemima Khan who snapped a bare faced pic of herself, after retweeting a Cancer Research UK post and adding that she is “always late to the party”. Unsurprisingly, Jemima looked stunning as usual, we’re still waiting for a #nomakeupselfie from a celebrity where they look anything other than flawless!

Jemima joins actress Michelle Keegan, whose own snap could have been taken off the cover of a glossy magazine, actress and model Helen Flanagan, who is never one to turn down an impromptu photo session and Britain’s Sweetheart, Cheryl Cole. British model Amy Willerton and opera singer Katherine Jenkins also got involved, posting selfies alongside the hashtag.

michelle keegan no makeup selfieMichelle Keegan looked typically gorgeous in her no makeup selfie

Whoever started the #nomakeupselfie trend should give themselves a pat on the back, it certainly has raised a lot of money and a lot of exposure for the charity. Although not everybody has been quite so complimentary about the campaign. One confused Twitter user remarked, “I don’t get the #nomakeupselfie for cancer? How does it help?”, while another tweeted “New trend of #nomakeupselfie for cancer awareness. Because not wearing make up is like... having cancer? I hope I’m missing the point here.” We do see that the relevance can be hard to discern among all of the inevitable compliments that follow posting a no make up selfie, but the point seems to be that a lot of money has been raised and it's for a good cause. Whether or not a few girls have had an ego boost along the way is really just a side note.  We'll just have to wait and see how the men respond, it's definitely their turn to do their bit for charity now!

Does anybody out there know the origins of the no make up selfie trend?  Do you agree that it's been a force for good?

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