Miss England finalist becomes 1st in history to compete without makeup

a finalist of Miss England became the first beauty queen to compete without wearing makeup in the pageant’s nearly century-long history.

Melisa Raouf , a 20-year-old university student from south London, advanced to the semi-finals of the contest last Monday after opting for a laid-back look. Now, she will compete in the final in October for the crown.

“It means a lot to me, as I feel that a lot of girls of different ages wear makeup because they feel pressured to do so,” Raouf said in an interview with the British newspaper The Independent.

“If someone is happy in their own skin, we shouldn’t be forced to cover our face with makeup. Our flaws make us who we are and that is what makes each individual unique,” ​​she added.

Raouf said that while she started wearing makeup at a young age, she decided to avoid pageant tradition.

“I never felt like I lived up to beauty standards. I recently accepted that I’m beautiful in my own skin and that’s why I decided to compete without makeup,” she explained in the interview.

In May, Raouf posted an Instagram selfie of the “naked face” round of the competition, writing that she was “embracing blemishes and imperfections.”

CNN reached out to Raouf for further comment.

Angie Beasley, Miss England director, told CNN in a statement on Friday that “We presented the Bare Face Top Model round in 2019 as most of the contestants were submitting highly edited images wearing lots of makeup and we wanted to see the real person behind the makeup.”

According to organizers, Raouf plans to go barefaced again in the national final in October.

“We wish her the best of luck at Miss England, it’s a very brave thing to do when everyone is wearing makeup, but she’s sending an important message to young girls,” added Beasley.