The 20-year-old Melisa Raouf became the first lady to appear without makeup in almost 100 years of the pageant’s history.
In the nearly 100-year history of the Miss England pageant, this is the first time a contestant has competed without makeup. It is about Melisa Raouf, a young woman who seeks to break with the stigmas of women in beauty pageants.
Raouf is a 20-year-old university student living in South London. Although she had already been promoting a natural beauty campaign before, her name has resonated until now for reaching the semifinals of the contest.
With this victory, he prepares to compete in October during the finals for the crown.
«It means a lot to me because I feel like a lot of women of different ages put on make-up because they feel pressured to do so,» Raouf said in an interview with the UK’s Independent newspaper.
Ver esta publicación en Instagram
Raouf confessed that all her life she has used makeup, since she started from a very young age like many other women.
However, he decided to break with this practice for the contest and that made all the difference.
Bravely and self-confidently, she stated: “If you’re happy in your own skin, we shouldn’t force ourselves to cover our faces with makeup. Our flaws make us who we are and that is what makes each individual unique.
Ver esta publicación en Instagram
She never felt that she met beauty standards. She decided to accept that she is beautiful in her own skin and hopes that her message will inspire others to do the same.
“We wish her the best of luck at Miss England. It’s a very brave thing to do while everyone else is wearing makeup, but she sends an important message to young women,» the pageant organizer said in an interview.