In over 94 years of ‘Miss England’, Melisa Raouf created history as she appeared bare-faced at the pageant.
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Sharing an empowering message, Melisa Raouf decided to participate in Miss England pageant with a natural look.
According to CNN, the 20-year-old political student from London progressed to the semifinals on Monday after choosing an all-natural look. Raouf will be competing with 40 other talented women to be crowned Miss England in October 2022.
Talking to The Independent, she wishes to promote inner beauty and challenge conventional beauty standards, rampant on social media.
“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,” she said.
Raouf expresses how her DMs are flooded with messages from young women.
When asked about how people reacted to her decision, she adds how well her messages have been received in public. My DMs are flooded with young women “telling me how I’ve made them feel more confident in themselves.” she chimes in.
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 makeup,” Melisa said.
Although in 2019, a category called bare-face was introduced by the organizers of the pageant, this is for the first time that a contestant dared to ditch makeup for good.
How did the organizers of Miss England react to this?
Melisa is the first Miss England contestant ever to make it to the final totally make-up free, isn’t she gorgeous!” the caption of Miss England’s Instagram post stated.
“This is who I am, I’m not afraid to share who I am. I wanted to show who Melisa truly is,” Raouf added.
In an interview, Angie Beasley, Director for Miss England spoke about Raoufs appearance at the competition, adding that this was indeed the first time someone chose to compete at the pageant without any makeup.
“I wish Melisa the best of luck in Miss England 2022”. “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,” she added.
Here’s how netizens praised the beauty queen
She don't even need makeover . She's Gorgeous 🥰 #melisaraouf 🤍
— Harmanpreet Singh (@Hrmn74139458) August 29, 2022
HURRAH for 20-year-old Melisa Raouf who has created history by scoring a spot in the finals of the Miss England contest as the first MAKE UP FREE contestant in the pageant's 94-year history:
What an AMAZING role modelhttps://t.co/d6RlKjTl9N— Kasturi Shankar (@KasthuriShankar) August 25, 2022
Gearing up for the finals, Melisa Raouf said that it was a daunting but amazing experience.
She recalls that even though she started makeup at a young age she decided to shun makeup for the pageant.
“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,” she concludes.
