Is Your #Nomakeupselfie Really Helping Anyone?

While I think it's brave and I admire the ladies that washed their make-up off and rocked some serious natural beauty for the #nomakeupselfie for breast cancer awareness "challenge" I just wanted to mention a few things:

1) According to AdWeek, the trend started when crime novelist Laura Lippman posted a photo in response to Kim Novak's appearance at the Oscars. The photo went viral under the hashtag #itsokkimnovak and started generating more selfies that used hashtag #nomakeupselfie instead.

2) The DailyMail introduced an 18-year-old UK mom of one, who lost a family member to breast cancer and saw the opportunity to tie the trending hashtag to a good cause by creating a Facebook page asking people to post their selfies WHILE donating to a cancer charity. The text-in keyword and number were also included with each post. Through the pictures with the charity raised over $13 million for cancer research in the UK, enough money to fund 10 new cancer trials.

3) But when the trend came to the US the charity keywords were lost and comments posted on these pictures started to become things like "girl, you so beautiful without your make-up" or "hottie." The connection to the real breast cancer message became an after thought.  Without including the information for a cancer charity or foundation in your post you're really doing nothing for breast cancer at all.

So why do I bring this up? Because I know you ladies are sincere about fighting breast cancer and that's why I want to encourage you to make it count and REALLY make a difference by participating in the Komen Idaho Race for the Cure Boise on May 10th. Komen Idaho is granting out $250,000 this week to help women get their mammograms, send mobile mammography units into rural parts of the state where women have no access to screenings and help patients with things like travel expenses, rental assistance and childcare while they're going through treatment. 75% of the money Komen Idaho raises through events like Race for the Cure stays in the Gem State to help our friends, family and neighbors. The other 25% goes to help fund national research to find a cure...some of which is being done here at home at Boise State.

I really believe that Komen plays a huge positive role in the lives of so many women that have been affected by breast cancer and I would love to walk with you to support them at Race for the Cure this year on 103.5 KISS FM's KISS the Cure team! It'd mean a lot to me if you'd sign up for my team, but more than anything else, I'd just like to see you get involved in such a great event and help kick cancer's ass!