A politics student competing in the finals of the Miss England contest has become the first make-up-free beauty queen in the pageant's 94-year history. Melisa Raouf, 20, impressed judges in London during the semi-finals on Monday, August 22 after taking to the catwalk without any cosmetics, and now hopes to inspire other women to feel comfortable within their own, natural skin.
Although organisers had previously introduced a 'bare-face top model' round, this marks the first time a contestant has actually competed without any makeup on. Having now reached the finals, Melisa, who studies at King's College London, says she plans to go 'bare-face' once again.
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Melisa, of Battersea, south London, described getting to the finals as being "quite a daunting experience" while adding that it was "so amazing to win this way."
Admitting she herself "never felt comfortable" in her own skin after beginning to wear makeup as a young girl, Melisa said: "It means a lot to me as I feel many girls of different ages wear makeup because they feel pressured to do so.
"If one is happy in their own skin we should not be made to cover up our face with makeup. Our flaws make us who we are and that's what makes every individual unique. I think people should love and embrace their flaws and blemishes, as we know real beauty lies within simplicity."
Melisa continued: "I never felt I met beauty standards. I have recently accepted that I am beautiful in my own skin and that's why I decided to compete with no make-up.
"I still feel confident in myself, with makeup I'm all concealed. This is who I am, I'm not afraid to share who I am. I wanted to show who Melisa truly is. I'm going to the finals bare-faced. I would love to use my Miss England platform to empower natural beauty and eliminate this toxic mindset."
According to Melisa, she has since received many messages from girls telling her she's made them feel "more confident in themselves", and hopes to continue promoting natural beauty in an era of impossible, social media-skewed standards.
She added: "I've had so many girls message me telling me how I've made them feel more confident in themselves. With mental health being such a big topic, I want to make all girls feel good. I just want to remove all the beauty standards. I feel like all girls are beautiful in their own way. I feel like I've done it for all girls."
Miss England organiser Angie Beasley has stated she introduced the bare face model round back in 2019 after being surprised and concerned by the amount of thick make-up and filler many contestants had.
Having become worried by beauty queen being influenced by the "many unrealistic images on Instagram", Angie says this round helps contestants "who they really are without the need to hide behind makeup and filters".
Wishing Melisa "the best of luck" in the competition, she added: "This is the first time I've seen a contestant completely make up free competing in a semi-final and she said she felt empowered against all the other contestants.
"I'm all for make-up to enhance your natural beauty but there's no need for youngsters to wear It so thick that it looks like a mask."
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