#nomakeupselfie for Dummies/Dutchies

It has been bothering me for a while now, so it's time to speak my mind. The Dutchies across the pond really seem to be missing the point of the #nomakeupselfie trend on social media.

Even 93-year-old May and 81-year-old Brenda understood the concept despite never ever having heard of a selfie before. Alongside their barefaced selfie, the sisters donated £5 each to Cancer Research UK.

Since it started last week the #nomakeupselfie trend has surged through social media with users raising more than £8million in the UK within 6 days. Subsequently, Cancer Research UK is able to carry out 10 more clinical trials due to this #nomakeupselfie trend.

The idea is pretty (ha, definitely NO pun intended) simple. You take a #nomakeupselfie, text BEAT to 70099 (for the UK) and post your text message proving you have donated alongside the selfie. Easy peasy! Please see an example below:

So, what exactly do the Dutch fail to understand? Basically the whole idea behind the #nomakeupselfie! When posting their makeupfree photos they state that they "support people with cancer". Oh gosh really? How on earth do you support a cancer-patient by solely posting a photo of yourself with no make up on? If you text SELFIE to 4333 you donate €2,- to 'KWF Kankerbestrijding' (the Dutch equivalent to Cancer Research UK). But can any Dutchies please explain me how you feel you are helping cancer patients by just posting a photo of yourself?

And then the oh-so-hilarious Dutch men.... (please note the sarcasm here) These lovely creatures have jumped on the #nomakeupselfie bandwagon too and are now posting their photos with no make up on. Oh blimey what an effort! I'm starting to get a bit concerned thinking they wear make-up when no-one else is around because why else would you respond that way? Surely if the women aren't wearing make up for cancer awareness, then the lads should get involved by taking selfies wearing make-up instead?! British men already understand the idea behind 'Man up and make up', but the Dutch men are clearly terribly vein and are taking the micky. If you are to scared to put make up on, at least donate - since thats what it is all about?

In the UK we have already seen various men put on lipstick, mascara and blusher for their selfies to raise money for charity too.

RESPECT for these men!

To summarise the idea behind the #nomakeupselfie for the Dutchies once more. Ladies: take a selfie with no make up on and text SELFIE to 4333 to donate €2,- to KWF, post both photos on social media and nominate a couple of your girlies to do the same. Men: take a selfie with a looootttt of make up on and text SELFIE to 4333 to donate €2,- to KWF, post both photos on social media and nominate some of your mates!

My apologies if I have offended any Dutchies, but then you shouldn't have been so useless!

Liefs,

Dutchy xx

Stemfies

Being a politics undergraduate, I am gutted I can't vote for today's municipal council elections at home. As a Dutch citizen living overseas I am only allowed to vote for the Dutch House of Representatives and for the European Parliament, and thus not for municipal or provincial elections. But secretly it isn't the actual voting that I am missing today, its the new phenomenon of taking a 'stemfie'.

The idea of the 'stemfie' is that voters enter the booth, pick a candidate, take a photo of themselves and spread it on social media! Have a look at Pechtold's example below: 

I wonder who he voted for...

NRC (Dutch Newspaper) stated a couple of days ago the prediction that less than a quarter of the youth would be voting for the municipal elections today, which I find very disturbing. Too many people don't take advantage of the privilege they get to cast their vote in an election, but how can you have a successfully run democratic system without the support and votes of the citizens? Your vote is your choice, it is one of the most valuable, powerful things we own. So it would be stupid not to use it.

Elections have been suffering from low voter-turnout for a while now, so I find the 'stemfie' a great way of stimulating more citizens to vote - and clearly it is working! Apparently at 1.30pm today the amount of people having voted was equal to total turnout of the 2010 elections. 

I feel that it makes voting so much more fun, and it is a far better way of engaging the public rather than ideas such as compulsory voting. 

Hopefully the Dutch 'stemfie' will result in a world record voter-turnout!

Liefs,

Dutchy xx