Outcry over YOU's 'bald celeb' cancer campaign
There has been a public outcry over the latest issue of the YOU magazine.
YOU asked six celebs (Lee-Ann Liebenberg, Shashi Naidoo, Poppy Ntshongwana, Zakeeya Patel, Elma Postma and LeAnne Dlamini) to show their support by appearing in the issue with no hair.
The catch?
Nobody actually shaved their heads.
Their hair was simply photoshopped out.
Here's what the cover looked like:
YOU has come under fire from some cancer survivors and those who have lost relatives to the disease, with some labelling the campaign insensitive.
I can still remember the day my late mom-in-law and I went to choose her wig to cover her bare head.
Jeanette was a regal lady who was always turned out impeccably and had a love for fashion and all things pretty.
Her fight against cancer was a lengthy struggle and the hair loss as a side effect from the chemo was a bitter pill for her to swallow.
Seeing a cover like this immediately made me think: what would she think?
I'm sure she would have seen the light side, and possibly the silver lining of causing awareness to such painful experience.
On the other hand, possibly a wince at its grave insensitivity.
In an article posted on the YOU website, editor Linda Pietersen explained why the mag decided ask the celebs to go bald:
“We often cover heartbreaking news stories related to cancer but we wanted to do something that would really make everyone sit up and take note. And our instinct to involve celebs was not wrong – the Cancer Association of SA says it uses celebrity ambassadors because they are so effective at getting the message across to the public.”
What are your thoughts: do you think a campaign like this raises awareness, or is just plain insensitive?