The Miss England finalist has become the first 'beauty queen' to compete without make-up in the nearly century-long history of the beauty pageant.
Melisa Raouf, a 20-year-old student from South London, walked the catwalk in the semi-finals of the pageant in a completely nude look. Now, she will compete in the finals in October for the Miss crown.
" This means a lot to me, as I feel that many girls of different ages use makeup because they feel pressured to do it," said Raouf in an interview with "Independent" in Britain.
' If someone is happy with their skin, we shouldn't be forced to cover our face with makeup. Our flaws make us who we are and that's what makes each individual unique' , she added.
Raouf said that although she started wearing makeup at a young age, she decided to eschew the pageant tradition.
' I never felt that I met the standards of beauty. Recently, I have accepted that I am beautiful with my skin and for this reason, I decided to compete without makeup' , she explains in the interview.
In May, Raouf posted a selfie on Instagram from the 'bare face' set, writing that she was 'embracing blemishes and imperfections'.
Angie Beasley, the director of Miss England, told CNN in a statement on Friday: 'We introduced the 'Bare Face Top Model' round in 2019 as most of the contestants were submitting images that were edited, heavily painted and with too much makeup, so we wanted to see the real person behind the makeup'.
Raouf plans to go makeup-free again at the national finals in October, according to organizers.
' We wish her the best of luck at Miss England, it's a very brave thing to do when everyone else is wearing make-up, but she's sending an important message to young girls,' Beasley added.
