For the first time in nearly a hundred years of history, the Miss England pageant will have a contestant in its finale who will appear without makeup: 20yearold student Melisa Raouf. She wants to take the opportunity to show girls that they don’t have to wear makeup to feel beautiful.
Raouf, who lives in south London, last week won a newly created round of competition in which contestants are not allowed to wear makeup. She secured her place among the 40 competitors who will compete in the final on October 17 and decided to keep her face washed in the crucial stage as well.
If she wins the final, she will go to the Miss World pageant saying she intends not to wear makeup.
“I wanted to show that we have a choice,” Raouf told the BBC. “We don’t have to wear makeup if we don’t want to.”
Raouf is in his second year of postgraduate studies in politics at King’s College London and intends to pursue diplomacy after graduating.
She says the women competing alongside her have more diverse interests and backgrounds than is often portrayed.
“Everyone has their own story,” he defends.
the weight of makeup
Like many of her peers, Raouf started wearing makeup as a teenager.
She says she is “significantly insecure” and has found that being compared to the “unrealistic standard of beauty” displayed on social media is having a negative impact on her mental health.
“I’ve never felt as comfortable as I am, I’ve never felt comfortable in my own skin,” says the young woman.
But as he got older, Raouf gained confidence and believes that entering beauty pageants ? although this is sometimes a “very scary” experience? increased that confidence.
Since attending a Miss England stage without makeup last week, she says she has been inundated with messages of support on social media.
“I’ve heard from girls of all ages and women in their 40s and 50s that they’re more comfortable in their own skin,” she says.
Raouf is not totally against wearing makeup and will do so on other occasions as well.
At the stage of the competition, when contestants had to keep their faces makeupfree, she was only able to use a few approved products, such as toner, moisturizer, and lip balm.
“I value makeup as an art form and creativity,” she says.
“It’s okay to wear makeup to enhance your appearance or for special occasions, but it shouldn’t define us. It’s about having a choice. I wanted to show that we don’t have to wear makeup if we don’t want to. “
Raouf wants girls to value their “inner beauty” more than compare themselves to others.
“If you wear a lot of makeup, you’re just hiding. Take those layers off and you’ll see who you really are,” he suggests.
the beauty contest
Miss England, owned by the Miss World pageant, is one of four beauty pageants from each nation in the UK that sends a contestant to the international event each year.
Miss World was first created and organized in the UK in 1951 by television presenter Eric Morley. His widow, Julia Morley, became director of the organization after his death in 2000.
The franchise has long been criticized for objectifying women. In 1970, members of the women’s liberation movement used flour to disrupt the Miss World finale at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
There were also demonstrations from various groups, including the London Feminist Network and UK Feminist, when the 2011 and 2014 competition finals were held in the British capital.
Some of the rules for entering the competition have remained the same since 1951.
Miss England candidates must be no older than 27 when they vote and must not be married or have children.
In 2018, Veronika Didusenko, who was crowned Miss Ukraine, said the rules needed to be changed after she was stripped of her mother’s title.
Julia Morley later said that changing the rules was difficult because local competitions are held in many different countries.
Despite criticism, Raouf believes these events have had a “positive and inspiring” impact.
“Competitors use the (event) platform to do something good in the world.”
This text was originally published at https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/geral62733645
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