'No Makeup Selfies' raise millions of dollars for cancer research

Although they often get a bad rap, selfies are now responsible for helping raise over $13 million (£8 million) in six days for the Cancer Research UK charity.

According to Adweek, what started with a photo from mystery author Laura Lippman seeking to show support for actress Kim Novak became a movement when social media users began sharing and re-sharing "no makeup selfies," and linking to cancer research donation websites. Novak's looks had been criticized on Twitter after her appearance at the Oscars on March 2.

Celebrities like British singer V V Brown have even joined the movement using the hashtag #nomakeupselfies.

Donors were asked to text the word "BEAT" to the SMS number provided for Cancer Research UK. However, some money was mistakenly sent to UNICEF and the World Wildlife Fund when people began texting the words "DONATE" and "BEAR" instead. UNICEF told the BBC that it intended to give all of the nearly $31,000 meant for cancer research to Cancer Research UK.

The accidental, international #nomakeupselfie campaign highlights just how powerful and global social media can be.