Melisa Raouf, a 20-year-old girl from London, has created history! Raouf has become the first ever contestant in Miss England pageant to walk the ramp without makeup. Now, she’ll compete with 40 other contestants in the finals on 17 October.
If one is happy in their own skin we should not be made to cover up our faces with makeup: Melisa
Melisa, a political student, said that she wants to encourage other women and young girls to show their natural beauty.
“It means a lot to me. I feel many girls of different ages wear makeup because they feel pressured to do so,” Raouf said in an interview with the U.K.’s Independent newspaper.
“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 added.
Raouf said that, though she started wearing makeup at a young age, she decided to eschew tradition for the pageant. Melisa has also won the “Bare Face” round, which was added to the beauty pageant in 2019.
She will again ditch the cosmetics on the final day of the competition
Talking about the same, organizer Angie Beasley said, “It encourages women to show us who they really are without the need to hide behind makeup and filters on social media.”
“This is the first time I’ve seen a contestant completely makeup-free competing in a semi-final. She said she felt empowered against all the other contestants,” Beasley said further.
“We wish her the best of luck in Miss England. It’s a very brave thing to do when everyone else is wearing makeup but she’s sending out an important message to young women,” Beasley added.
The young talent shared her experience of getting into the finals as “quite a daunting experience” as per Mirror. Before adding that it was “so amazing to win this way”.
Melisa will compete with other 40 women for the Miss England crown on October 17.