published27. August 2022, 09:45
EnglandMelisa Raouf (20) takes part in the beauty contest without make-up – and ends up in the final
For the first time in the history of Miss England, a woman has reached the final without make-up – and will also compete there without make-up. Melisa Raouf explains why she is doing this.
The 20-year-old (2nd from left) differs from the other candidates.
Instagram/missenglandofficial
Raouf says in an interview that the place in the final means a lot to her. “I feel like a lot of girls of different ages wear makeup because they feel pressured to do it.”
Instagram/melisaraouf
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The Englishwoman Melisa Raouf wants to be named the most beautiful woman in the country.
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The 20-year-old competes without make-up for the Miss election.
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Many young women are grateful to her for this.
It was a courageous decision that is now making waves: 20-year-old Melisa Raouf from the London suburb of Battersea has reached the final of the Miss England pageant completely without make-up. In the nearly 100-year history of the beauty pageant, no woman had ever dared to compete without make-up.
Raouf advanced in the semi-finals of the competition on Monday and will compete for the Miss England crown in October’s final. “It means a lot to me, because I have the feeling that many women of different ages wear make-up because they feel pressured to do so,” says the politics student to the newspaper.The Independent».
«Not forced to cover the face»
If you feel comfortable in your own skin, you should “not be forced to cover your face with make-up,” says the beauty queen. “Our flaws make us who we are and that’s what makes each person unique,” she added.
The 20-year-old admitted she started wearing makeup at a young age. “I never felt like I fit the norms of beauty. I’ve 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.
Also in the finale without make up
Melisa Raouf will compete against 40 other women in the Miss England contest. It is already clear to her that she will wear a natural look. “I go to the final with my face bare. I want to use my platform as Miss England to empower natural beauty and eliminate that toxic mindset,” she said.
The reactions that her decision triggered were overwhelming for her: “So many young women have written to me and said that I made them feel more self-confident. Since mental health is such an important issue, I want to make all girls feel good about it. I would like to abolish all beauty norms. I believe that all women are beautiful in their own way,” she says. She is happy to have won, but even more joy gives her the feeling of “having done it for all women”.