Twenty-year-old politics student Melisa Raouf has made history after becoming the first ever contestant to compete with a makeup-free face in the Miss England beauty pageant.
Beauty pageants are well-known for their high standards when it comes to appearances.
For over 100 years, beauty pageants have held the general reputation that all of their contestants rely on glitzy clothes and a full face of makeup to get them through.
However, one of this year’s Miss England finalists has caused a stir by doing something that has never before happened in the competition’s history…
Melisa Raouf won the “bare-face” round of the competition, which sealed her place in the final. But that’s not all…
She plans to stick with her makeup-free look for the grand final…
Raouf told Tyla: “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.”
She believes it’s an important message to send to other generations.
“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,” Raouf said.
We wish her the best of luck in the final.
As the first contestant to compete without makeup, Raouf has already made history, and we hope she continues to do so in the final on October 17.
What do you think?