**Operator Error Alert: I can't operate my own blog, sorry for all the white lines and crap. Can't fix it, I'm special....ughhhh!!**
Yesterday I was "tagged" by a friend to post a picture of my makeup-less face on Facebook for Breast Cancer Awareness and I thought, sure why not. I don't usually wear make-up anyway so it didn't bother me either way. (But I hadn't showered all weekend and my hair looked like a rat's nest, so there's that.) Then I tagged three friends at random (and my sister on purpose!) and went about my merry way. No, I have no idea what posting an up-close picture of my grubby weekend mug is going to do for the benefit of Breast Cancer Awareness. The only thing that crossed my mind was that Breast Cancer Awareness Month is in October and it's nearly April. Oh well. Whatever helps, I guess.
Yesterday I was "tagged" by a friend to post a picture of my makeup-less face on Facebook for Breast Cancer Awareness and I thought, sure why not. I don't usually wear make-up anyway so it didn't bother me either way. (But I hadn't showered all weekend and my hair looked like a rat's nest, so there's that.) Then I tagged three friends at random (and my sister on purpose!) and went about my merry way. No, I have no idea what posting an up-close picture of my grubby weekend mug is going to do for the benefit of Breast Cancer Awareness. The only thing that crossed my mind was that Breast Cancer Awareness Month is in October and it's nearly April. Oh well. Whatever helps, I guess.
Then I came across an article this morning
written by a breast cancer survivor who is beyond pissed off and downright
offended that women are posting pictures of their make-up-less faces in the
name of Breast Cancer Awareness. She says, ”Let's leave aside for a moment that I fail to see how this
self-indulgent crap actually serves to heighten cancer awareness. I
mean, is there anyone out there unaware of cancer? More disturbingly, I
fear this destructive campaign is only serving to deliver a giant slap in the
(make-up free) face to every woman undergoing life-saving chemotherapy right
now." She displays a picture of herself during chemo and after.
First
of all, I am truly sorry that this woman was diagnosed with breast cancer and
had to endure the hell that is chemotherapy. I know of a few strong
ladies that have had to go through it and HELL is an accurate description.
But I am thankful that she made it through her ordeal and is here today
to speak her mind about an innocent gesture in support of the leading cancer
among women of all races in the United States. Even though some of the makeup-less
faces that pop up on her news feed may not be affected by breast cancer
themselves, chances are they know someone that has been. And that doesn't
mean that they won't be affected personally down the road. Breast cancer
is something that ALL of us women need to be educated about and aware of.
By putting down their lip gloss, snapping a picture of their
healthy faces and blithely professing their bravery for posting it publicly,
women everywhere are indirectly saying "this is me at my least attractive".
Actually, that's not what I was thinking at
all, nor was it the message I was trying to get across. Thank you for
speaking on my behalf. And if you ask my boyfriend of 4 years which face
of mine he prefers, he will tell you that he prefers me without all the
"war paint". I understand that she might not feel like herself
when she is "bald, pale
and gaunt" but people
understand that it's due to cancer. I understand that she has every right
to feel the way that she feels about herself when she is bald, pale, and gaunt
but she should realize that those negative thoughts are her own; NOT EVERYONE
around her is thinking that. "But
I also stopped looking because, by conventional standards, I was ugly.
There was no escaping it." Never once
when I looked at the picture of her during chemo did I thing, wow she's ugly!
No decent person would think that, either. If she thinks she's
"ugly by conventional standards" than that's her own perception...and
her own problem. Not mine or anyone else's.
I have a feeling that the makeup-less selfies struck a nerve
with her personally because she has breast cancer. If she had another
type of cancer, would it affect her the same way? Probably. "A
stream of make-up free selfies can do nothing more than intensify that
awareness and perhaps make that horrendous time that little bit harder than it
needs to be." I like how she speaks for every single person
who has had to deal with breast cancer.
She makes it seem like every one of them would be offended by it. What about lung cancer, the second most
common cancer? Or colon cancer? Or any other cancer? How about Thyroid Cancer, which I had?! If those makeup-less selfies would have been
posted with a Thyroid Cancer heading would I be pissed about it? Absolutely NOT. That doesn't mean nobody else that has had to
endure thyroid cancer wouldn't be mad about it but DON’T SPEAK FOR THEM. What if it wasn't even a cancer? How about autism? Or cerebral palsy? Tourette’s?
Congestive Heart Failure.
Obesity. Diabetes. Every single one of these cancers or
conditions or whatever you want to call them deserves awareness and who the
hell cares how someone goes about spreading that awareness? If putting my face up on Facebook with a
blurb about breast cancer reminds someone that it’s time to schedule their
mammogram then so be it; I will re-post it a million times if it makes someone
pick up the phone and schedule a possibly life-saving appointment that might
have slipped their mind otherwise.
And to say that posting a
makeup-less picture isn't “brave” is completely judgmental and presumptuous. There are PLENTY of women who were tagged to
do it and didn't, because they didn't feel comfortable with putting their
makeup-less face up for all to see. Does
that make them a bad person? Or any less
brave? No. To be honest, I wouldn't have posted a
makeup-less picture of myself ten years ago, at age 23. However, 33 year-old me gives zero fucks.
I know that I didn't have to go
through chemo with my cancer and I am grateful.
But that doesn't mean my situation or anyone else’s is less
important. I didn't lose all my hair at
once but every time I take a shower my hair falls out in handfuls thanks to my thyroid
replacement medication. My skin is dry
and flaky from it, too. And since your
thyroid is what controls your hormones and is the center of your emotional and
physical well being, I get to deal with short term memory loss, feeling
exhausted all the time, and anxiety like I've never felt before. And while I don’t feel comfortable preaching
about it I am always more than willing to answer questions about it and share
my side of the story, if it will help someone become more aware of it, then I’m
all for it. And if someone or a group of people or a million people want to start some kind of silly Facebook campaign to promote Thyroid Cancer Awareness, the cancer that I had and lived through, I won't act ungrateful and bitter about it. While I understand that her
story is her own and is unique and she is allowed to express her feelings as
she sees fit, I wish that she would see that all the freshly-scrubbed faces
supporting awareness of her battle are just trying to do the best they can with
what they are given. And that is all
that I can ask from anyone.
Here is the link to the article:
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| Seriously |
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