No Make-Up Selfie: Oxford University Student Raises £12,000 for Rape Victims after Nightclub Assault

A female student who was attacked in an Oxford nightclub has raised £12,000 for rape victims by posting a "no make-up selfie".

Jeanne Marie Ryan, from Oxford University, was with friends on a night out at The Plush Lounge when she was groped by a stranger.

After turning around and telling the man his actions were "completely unacceptable", he punched her seven times. Jeanne was left with bruises and a broken nose.

The following day, with the current campaign of bare-faced "selfies" trending on social media, she decided to post an image of her swollen face to raise money for the Oxford Sexual Abuse and Rape Crisis Centre.

The #nomakeupselfie campaign has since gone viral on Facebook and Twitter, raising over £1million in funds for Cancer Research UK.

Alongside her photograph, the 29-year-old wrote: "I am sorry Cancer Research, but my #nomakeupselfie is for a different cause: For telling a guy in a club who groped me that it is completely inapproproate to touch a woman without her consent, I was beaten. He told me to 'smile' too."

She added: "No, we do not have to wear makeup. No, we do not have to smile. And, most importantly, no, we do NOT have to be touched. I'm trying to channel my rage into something constructive, so I'm raising money for the Oxford Sexual Abuse and Rape Crisis Centre (OSARCC)."

"Thanks, friends. sometimes you just have to make the best out of a broken nose, right?"

Ms Ryan has now raised more than £12,500 for her cause, since posting the picture.

Speaking to Cosmopolitan, she said: "I think he had not been expecting someone to say anything to him. I fell over after the first three or four [punches] but got back up and I think it enraged him further that I hadn't been knocked out."

Jeanne added: "I don't regret saying what I said. I don't regret standing up for myself or anyone who's ever been groped like that."

A police spokesperson for Oxford CID said: "This incident took place on the dance floor and so people would have seen the female being attacked. The offender had olive skin, dark hair and was around 5ft 7ins or 5ft 8ins tall."

"We are doing everything to catch this offender and so I urge anyone with information to contact us immediately."

To donate, visit Jeanne's JustGiving page.