Our children will come to know our lives in a virtual scrapbook stream of selfies. Every milestone, grand adventure, fancy dining experience, and now, even charitable campaign will be captured at an obtuse angle with a misleading filter.

In a social media craze more embarrassing than Kony 2012 and #sochiproblems, women all around the world took to the most well-lit area in their proximity to snap a #nomakeupselfie. In an age where our value is defined by followers and ‘likes,’ the concept seems contrary to our generation’s obsession with public approval as a means of self-validation.

The #nomakeupselife craze began a couple weeks ago in the United Kingdom when women uploaded selfies tagging friends and encouraging others to text HOPE to 20222. The five-dollar text rates were donated to breast cancer research initiatives, and since then over $13 million has been raised.

In an era that is increasingly connected through social media, it would be illogical to deny the value of sites like Twitter and Facebook in raking in donations. In the same way, however, Generation Y has been criticized for its inability to develop intimate relationships due to diluted instant messaging. It seems our capacity to empathize with human suffering has morphed into a projection of our own insecurities.

Rather than applaud survivors of breast cancer for their bravery, women have opted to use #nomakesupselfies as a means to say, “We stand with you.” As if exposed pores and pimples are at all equal to a deteriorating immune system and body-wrecking exposure to chemotherapy.

The ugly truth is, there’s nothing beautiful about your non-caked-up face if you’re parading it around on a self-indulgent bandwagon that belittles others. As Brisbane Times reporter and cancer survivor Kim Stephens succinctly wrote, “The problem is, to a woman at the height of a chemotherapy regime who barely recognizes the reflection that greets her in the mirror, these images are not unattractive at all.” A woman has the option of adding foundation and mascara, but someone battling cancer is powerless to remove the life-threatening virus as it leaves them incapable of even providing the most basic necessities of survival for themselves.

And if we’re completely honest with ourselves, everyone’s aware of cancer. The only thing anyone has become aware of over the past couple of weeks is how blissfully shallow we all are. We’ve taken the struggles of over 200,000 people in the United State alone battling breast cancer and turned it into a campaign that’s all about us. And we’ve learned absolutely nothing in the process.

According to the National Cancer Institute, of the millions of women who uploaded selfies on social media, close to 250,000 will be diagnosed this year. Of those 250,000, roughly 40,000 of them will lose the battle. And according to The American Cancer Society, nearly 50 percent of women without 12 years of formal education will go without a mammogram, shrinking to a quarter among college graduates. It’s amazing how much information makeup covers.

Short of raising $13 million and giving the world a look at what women look like right out of bed, the #nomakeupselfie campaign has only succeeded in perpetuating our generation’s less than desirable habits, offending thousands more in the process.

If we really want to make a difference, we need to stop spending so much time photoshopping and invest a little more in frequent trips to the doctor’s office. We need to stop pretending that social media trends, regardless of their good intentions, are actually going to make a difference. And above all, we need to prioritize our relationships with others over our relationship with our Internet profiles.

cferganc@mavs.coloradomesa.edu