The #nomakeupselfie rides the social media zeitgeist wave to perfection.

The truth is that it is brave to show yourself off on social media looking less than perfect these days.

Cancer Research UK’s fundraising team can put their feet up and relax in the knowledge that their job for 2014 is done – and it’s only March! The success of the #nomakeupselfie craze has fully demonstrated their ability to cash in on the social media zeitgeist.

The selfie is a craze born entirely of social media – can you imagine sitting in the pub taking out packs of photographs of your own face and forcing your friends to look at them? =

Some commentators have attributed the rise of the selfie to an increase in self-obsession; a narcissism bred of capitalist greed and inequality. It has certainly led to an increase in self-consciousness – “oh no, is my nose really that big?” men and women up and down the country cry!

Feminists critics of the #nomakeupselfie craze have bemoaned the idea that it is brave of a woman to post a picture of herself on social media without any makeup on. They have a point, but the truth is that it is brave to show yourself off on social media looking less than perfect these days.

And that is why it worked. By posting a #nomakeupselfie on Facebook, women get to demonstrate their moral strength through their physical imperfections (if they have any) and end up looking pretty perfect – all for a mere £3 to BEAT 70099. It’s a win-win.