Miss England models will take to the catwalk "bare-faced" to promote their natural looks in what will be Britain's first ever make-up free beauty pageant.
The Miss London and South East 2023, one of the opening rounds of the Miss England pageant competition, will feature contestants competing completely make-up free from next month. The change will mark the first time in the competition's 95 year history that women will appear without any make-up on.
It follows on from the success of similar rounds in previous years where beauty queens were asked to submit pictures without filters, cosmetics or editing. Organisers say the concept behind the change is hoping to empower women, boost confidence and promote a more realistic body image as it focuses on natural looks.
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Competitors will participate in the auditions, semi final photoshoot and final catwalk without wearing make-up in a bid to reach the Miss England final later this year. The reigning Miss London, Anjali Sinha, 23, of Middlesex, said: “It’s wonderful to have this make-up free contest.
"It empowers us all very deeply and reinforces the idea of loving ourselves truly. There is so much negativity out in the social media and this is a great way to enhance positivity in our world.
"It allows all of us to embrace our true beauty, makeup free and unfiltered.”
Melisa Raouf, a 20-year-old politics student at Kings College London, won the Miss England Bare Face round last year. She also became the first woman to walk the Miss England final catwalk make-up free and started the #barefacetrendmovement on Instagram.
Melisa, of Battersea, south London, who will judge the bare-faced regional heat, said: "I am thrilled to be a part of a movement that celebrates natural beauty and uniqueness. I have struggled with insecurities about my appearance for as long as I can remember.
"This make-up free contest is a powerful statement, promoting self-love and acceptance while encouraging women to feel confident and beautiful just the way they are. By creating this opportunity, Miss England is leading the way towards challenging unrealistic beauty standards and promoting authenticity.
"I believe that every woman is beautiful in her own way, and it's time to celebrate that. We should encourage each other to embrace our unique features and feel confident and beautiful, inside and out."
Reigning Miss England Jessica Gagen, 26, who is representing England at the next Miss World said: “In an age where social media is impacting the self-esteem of the next generation, I think it’s important my generation ditch the filters and heavy makeup in order to highlight to school children that natural beauty never goes out of style - and that they should strive to succeed in their education as opposed to trying to conform to unachievable beauty standards”.
Jessica recently sizzled in a photoshoot at the Cinnamon Velifushi in the Maldives where she chose to wear just a natural lip colour after a humanitarian tour of India. Angie Beasley, director of Miss England said "We want to continue our campaign to promote realistic and natural beauty to the younger generation."
To enter Miss England, visit: www.missengland.info
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