The latest issue which featured “bald” pictures of celebrities Shashi Naidoo, Poppy Ntshongwana, Zakeeya Patel, Elma Postma, Lee-Anne Liebenberg and LeAnne Dlamini.
Social media was inundated with criticism of the celebrities for not actually shaving their heads.
Liebenberg took to Facebook to respond to the negative reaction, stating that she could handle criticism but wouldn’t allow people to accuse her of not having her heart in the right place.
Having lost her grandmother to the deadly disease and watching as her father battled lymph and then lung cancer, the model said she knew cancer was a very sensitive issue.
“I have been involved with many amazing awareness campaigns over the years that have made incredibly positive impacts, and this particular campaign gave me the opportunity to share my family’s journey and hopefully give someone courage not to give up the great fight,” she said.
“Using the platform I’ve been given – to raise funds for those in need or to raise awareness for various causes – is my privilege… I want to help, I want to inspire and I want to make a change.”
Liebenberg said due to “complicated currents contracts” she could not cut her hair, but that did not mean she could not get involved in a cause so close to her heart. She further reiterated her commitment to raising awareness, “with or without hair”.
“I can only imagine that losing your hair during chemotherapy is utterly devastating. I wanted to show compassion and I wanted to show that bald is beautiful,” she added.
Click here to view her full statement on Facebook.
Editor of You Magazine, Linda Pietersen, also responded to “those who were hurt and offended” by their latest issue on their website.
Pietersen apologised to all who were offended, but also stated that as much as there may have been negative responses to the campaign, there were people who appreciated their campaign and thanked the magazine for highlighting cancer.
She also responded to those who felt that the magazine should have rather used real cancer survivors for the story.
“… the reality is celebrities have much greater pull. For example, we had a woman on our cover recently who died of cancer. Her doctor husband wrote a piece so heartrending it moved many of us to tears – yet it barely raised any awareness and certainly didn’t have people flocking to support Cansa,” she stated.
Both Pietersen and Liebenberg referred to other recent campaigns that involved photoshop being used to depict a serious issue, stating that neither of the campaigns had received as much negative reaction.
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Letter to the editor: YOU cover insults those who have gone bald without choice
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