Does anyone else dislike the Macmillan Brave the Shave campaign?

Judy,

The reporter contacted me through my website, having read my cancer blog, although she did find my website through my profile here. She first heard about our displeasure through her mother, a cancer survivor.

It annoys me a little that I wrote so much but barely a sentence was published!

Initially I had been very reluctant but as my husband pointed out, I'm no stranger to the media so go for it.

Hi Rebecca

Just to say that I totally agree with you X 

Don't worry or get hung up about how others choose to support their family and friends its up to them.

My daughter has just shaved her head in support of her friend and not for one single minute has she thought that this act would be seen as sharing her friends experiences. She simply did it too raise money and show her moral support and knew that this was something she could too raise money fast.

its the sticking together that counts.
 x

I agree with you 100% Dobcross.

At the end of the day these people are raising money and awareness. If they feel smug about it - let them, they're doing good. If they don't, then don't worry.

I think these days there are so many different ways of raising funds and awareness that not everyone will appreciate them. I think that it is brave shaving your head. They're under no pressure to change the way they look so dramatically but are moved to do so because of their own personal reasons. My sister and I are considering it to raise funds in honour of our Dad. I don't care for one minute if people are annoyed by that - that's what will help us raise a ton of money and will show support for our Dad. He's so proud of us for even considering it and ultimately that's what matters.

As Dobcross has so wonderfully said, sticking together counts. Who cares what our motives are x

Hi Dobcross and LookItsMeg

I think you have mistaken where I was coming from.

My main reason for starting this thread was to see if others felt that this is a very insensitive campaign run by Macmillan - not sure if either of you have actually experienced losing your hair through chemo personally.

It's the juxtaposition of this campaign with the purpose of Macmillan which is to understand and support people with cancer.

Lots of people who have had chemo and lost their hair - a horrid experience in terms of how it happens, and not just your head, your eyebrows, eyelashes, body hair - not just shaved, but shiny bald, and it doesn't grow back straight away. Mine is just starting to grow back since losing it last December. The whole thing makes you feel you are being stripped of your femininity and identity.

My issue was about an advert showing happy laughing people having their heads shaved in a party atmosphere - when this happens from chemo I haven't come across anyone who felt like this! 

It's not the people doing it - it's the campaign that is the issue mainly for me. Similarly I don't have the same feelings about other charities who promote this approach - their reason for existing is not the same as that of Macmillan.

So please don't judge me for feeling like I do - as I don't judge you for doing this - although I really wish people would do something much more fun to raise money! My plea to Macmillan is to drop or modify this campaign in the future and encourage other ways to raise money. If people want to donate to Macmillan they will, whatever people decide to do to raise money. Personally I would have hated my daughters doing this for me. I and my daughter have raised nearly £6000 between us in other ways.

LookitsMeg.   Raising money for breast cancer/cancer is fantastic, and l do, and will carry on.    But shaving your head in support, turns having a shaved head because lwe have breast cancer...turns the  former into a unpleasant farce , and it hurts (not ''annoyed'')  soo many' people who are going thro the  same worse than drradful v scary illness.       But like you make a point of saying..  ''l dont care for one minute if people are annoyed   by that.''     You will do it regardless !       Judy58  Wholly agree with you ! x

Hi

It was never my intention to judge sorry if it came across like that, its always hard to read or write a post without knowing its full intention.

I have read many that agree or disagree with Shave the Brave and see where they are coming from. Everyone has their own way of supporting their loved ones and i would like to think that those that shave in moral support of a friend have discussed their feelings about it  with each other fully beforehand and have made an informed decision that's best for them.

I see where you are coming from completely on the juxtaposition. I don't think anyone tries to trivialise by shaving in support or doing it in a fun atmosphere i just think they want to support in a way they know how in their own familiar environments.

I am sure Macmillan listens to its members and will take all their thoughts into consideration when making a decision whether or not to continue promoting Brave the Shave .

Well done to you in your fund raising its fantastic.

Best wishes

Dobcross,

You got me thinking about friends offering to shave their heads in support of loved ones. Before I went through chemo and lost most of my hair (even with the cold cap) I never imagined how bad the Macmillan "brave the shave"  makes me feel.  

I dread seeing the posters and ads. If someone in my office did it for money I don't know how I would react. It would be very hard for me emotionally.

If a friend had offered right at the start I would have been touched. Now, I would be appalled.

Macmillan need to put the genie back in the bottle now. That's going to be very hard. They still have the webpage and all the apparatus set up to support the "campaign".  As I discovered a while back it comes up as an advertisement on future webpages if one searches for it. I think that this would be a service that they are paying for?

My hope is that Macmillan listens to patients and takes down the website and stops people fundraising using this particular slogan.

That would be a great start. At the moment Macmillan doesn't appear to be listening.

Maybe it sounds strange but in contrast to BtheS, I REALLY like the Movember campaign where men grow moustaches and then shave them off to raise awareness and money for testicular and prostate cancer. 

Many men look funny with a tash - many who've had them for years look funny without them. The growing takes weeks and keeps the awareness high and I think it's a fun campaign. Shaving your head though? Not so funny.

I think many of us who've had non-chemo cancers - or cancers where the chemo doesn't cause hair loss - get a bit tired of people asking "So will you lose your hair then?" when we're diagnosed. People can lose so much in so many ways and this focus on hair is not always helpful.

I also feel rather sad for people with alopoecia who are constantly being asked if they are sick because of the equation in people's minds - hair loss equals cancer. Two British women athletes in the Olympics (Jo Rowsell and one of the rugby 7s ladies) both brought that thought to my mind. 

I agree.i was lucky enough not to have chemo so I didn't lose my hair but when I was first diagnosed, the thought of losing my hair was the thing that upset me most.I was even accused of being so vain by friends,  I spose because I was in my 60s and single I m not supposed to care how I look, well I do.I grew my hair when I was just over 60, id had short hait for years,but this "older women shouldn't have long hair" wound me up so much,i decided to grow it,and as my brunette locks had bits of grey, I dyed it red,  I love it, I vowed never to cut it short again just have regular trims so thought of losing it uspet me so much, Im sure all these people are well meaning  with this "brave the shave" but I hate it,To be honest im not keen on the other adverts for cancer, I hated the last years one where the bloke sits in an icy wasteland and the caption "cancer is such a lonely thing" comes up.  Totally depressing, Lets have a few more positive adverts and campaigns, Cancer is bad enough we dont need all this downbeat stuff,