Makeup-free Miss England finalist defies ‘unrealistic beauty standards’
Melisa Raouf spent three hours fixing her cosmetics because she didn't feel beautiful.
Raouf did not wear hers for the Miss England pageant this week.
After years of feeling timid and insecure, Raouf said it was a challenge to herself.
“Society's limited notion of beauty and perfection puts pressure on women to appear a specific way, and they're frequently criticised for not conforming,” she said in an interview.
“Taking that bare-face round to the next level challenged these artificial beauty standards.”
Before the finals, Raouf cleaned up rubbish in London and ran a 10-kilometer race to collect money for Beauty with a Purpose, and education to the needy.