Does anyone else dislike the Macmillan Brave the Shave campaign?

Did anything happen in the end? I am hoping that there was some feedback from Macmillan on this.

The reason I am asking is that locally someone has said that they intend to do a shave in public.

This makes me feel uncomfortable! My family were going to shave their heads in support of me when I lost mine due to chemo...I could not think of anything more upsetting. Thankfully they understood and did not do it. I can’t explain why this made me feel so upset but I’m so glad they decided against the idea.

Hi Bramble22,

Yes I totally agree with you. This has been an ongoing issue with Macmillan for a long time. There was a flurry of responses a few months ago which resulted on the head of the Brave the Shave campaign phoning me. I vociferously let them know my feelings but it really ultimately fell on deaf ears. The bottom line for them is that it brings in money. I suggested there were lots of other things they could do like fish and chip suppers, curry nights etc. Many of us on here find it demeans what we are going/have been through. Rest assured you are not alone. 

Every best wish for your treatment.

xx Janet

This is the reply from Macmillan that someone posted in 2017

Thank you for your email providing feedback about our Brave the Shave campaign. I do apologise for any upset we may have caused.

Before I begin I want to thank you for letting me know about you’re your breast cancer diagnosis. I understand that cancer affects everyone differently and it’s effects can be long lasting. If you ever need any information, support or even someone to talk things through with our support line is here for you. You can call our support line free on 0808 808 0000 (Monday-Friday 9am-8pm).

In your email to us you asked us why we run our Brave the Shave campaign. It began after we found that thousands of Macmillan supporters were choosing to shave their head and fundraise for Macmillan each year. Originally we launched this as ‘Shave or Style’, however from this campaign, we found that the majority of participants were opting to shave and so moved forward with that aspect specifically. We wanted to provide these supporters with a better platform in order to raise money, while sharing their fundraising activity.

Many people who fundraise though Brave the Shave want to show solidarity with people they know, who have lost their hair through their cancer treatment and feel that this campaign is one way of showing their support. It is through their generosity that we were able to raise £7.1m last year alone. This money is crucial in helping us run our vital services so that we can support more people affected by cancer. Despite this we do realise that this campaign is not to everyone's liking and I can only apologise for how it has made you feel. 

Thank you again for taking the time to pass on your thoughts. I'd like to reassure you that all the feedback we receive is reviewed and is used to shape future campaigns as we want to ensure that they are as sensitive as possible. If we can be of any further assistance in this matter please don’t hesitate to contact us on 0300 1000 200 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) or by emailing feedback@macmillan.org.uk.

I personally don't like the campaign but it raises a lot of money and a lot of people do like the sentiment - the charity will be struggling for money at present so I am sure they will be promoting again at some time.

Just saw advert on TV for this campaign!!

Oh nooooo, not again?!?!? 

Hi Everyone, I don't think this campaign is appropiate even if it does raise much needed money. So insensative !!

Macmillan should definitely think again on this one.

They won’t, as we’ve had this argument many times.

our daughter lost her hair three times as her lymphoma was very stubborn, she hated it and this reminds us of her long long illness every time it appears. I just wish that Macmillan would lose it! 

Hugs xxx

Hello Judyr58,

I agree with all the comments I've read. I thought it wouldn't matter to me when my hair fell out, but the emotions and feelings were overwhelming. I have asked my friends not to do it but do something else if they want to fund raise. When this is all over I will find a different way to both highlight tnbc and raise some money.

I know Macmillan do a lot to raise awareness at a local level in every hospital going and on the media, but sadly apart from you ladies on here the support I have received has been negligible. When my Mum and Dad had cancer Macmillan were there every step of the way with visits and phone calls and putting things into place. I couldn't fault them. I started chemo at the very start of lock down. Macmillan disappeared for me at the start of lock down. I find the advert saying cancer doesn't go away, neither do we, very sad. I hope that for all your sakes you have not found the same and it is just a blip. 

Take care and stay strong. xxx

1. Hi Kwissy and everyone, I am genuinely sorry that you all feel that way about Brave the Shave. Loosing my hair was the worst part of the treatment but I embraced it as I knew I had no choice and I knew it would grow back. . I’ve always thought that if it’s going to make millions of pounds, which it does, then that has to be good, just look how many people several millions can help and research. . That means more money for research into this nasty beast and the sooner, please God,  a cure can be found. My neighbour has recently braved the shave. I didn’t know anything about her plans. I saw it as a way of her desperately wanting to show her appreciation of the wonderful work McMillan have done for her family and for me. She and her friends have gone on to raise a lot of money through doing it. . I was quite touched that her and her friends had gone to such lengths to show there dedication. The people who brave the shave would be mortified if they knew how you feel. I respect everyone’s point of view. Hopefully people will respect my point of view as last time I received unkind back lash. It’s good for McMillan to view our responses. Take care,  sent with love.