A young beauty queen made history as she reached the finals of Miss England while ditching makeup.
20-year-old Melisa Raouf from London decided to compete in the beauty contest bare-faced to fight back against “toxic” beauty standards that so many young girls are allegedly “pressured” to follow.
According to the young lady, who became the first finalist in the competition’s 94-year history to compete without any makeup, she decided to ditch cosmetics for the occasion to encourage other women to embrace their natural beauty.
“It means a lot to me as I feel many girls of different ages wear makeup because they feel pressured to do so,” Melisa says.
“When I started wearing make up at a young age, I never felt comfortable in my own skin. I never felt I met beauty standards.”
The King’s College London student went on to reassure her supporters that she will once again appear without makeup as she takes to the catwalk for the Miss England Finals.
Speaking of her “daunting” and yet “amazing” experience, the 20-year-old went on to suggest that people should be allowed to feel happy in their own skin and that nobody should be pressured into wearing makeup if they don’t want to.
“Our flaws make us who we are and that’s what makes every individual unique. I think people should love and embrace their flaws and blemishes, as we know real beauty lies within simplicity,” Melisa says.
“I have recently accepted that I am beautiful in my own skin and that’s why I decided to compete with no make-up.
“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.”
The beauty queen also revealed her goal is to get rid of the “toxic mindset” and “empower natural beauty,” especially among other young women.
“I want to make all girls feel good. I just want to remove all the beauty standards. I feel like all girls are beautiful in their own way,” she concluded.
“I feel like I’ve done it for all girls.”
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