Miss England finalists are showing off their so-called “flaws” — including acne, blemishes and weight gain — with make-up-free selfies as part of a campaign to highlight natural and inner beauty.
The UK pageant organizers encouraged the women to show off their natural beauty to recognize realistic bodies and beauty and highlight their struggles with their looks.
Alice Cutler, 26, a solicitor, has struggled with her weight for most of her life.
“I have struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember,” Cutler said as she shared a photo of herself sans glam treatment, according to South West News Service.
She was 224 pounds at her heaviest in 2019 after she turned to food to comfort her as she grieved her mother’s death.
“I have had a lot of trauma throughout my life, and ‘eating my feelings’ became a way of dealing, or not, with everything,” Cutler admitted.
The pageant contestant has since better managed her physical and mental health and is more proud of her appearance but wants people to know that the number on the scale isn’t all that matters.
“It’s important to know that losing weight isn’t the end point of the journey — it’s only the start,” she told SWNS. “Maintaining a healthy weight is a project for life and one which I will always have to keep an eye on, especially as someone who loves sweet treats.”
And as the campaign shows, Cutler is not alone in her battle.
Prison officer Melissa Butcher, 24, from Lancaster, suffered from body dysmorphia from a young age.
The issues with her body affected her mental health, so much so that she pulled out of her dancing career for years before beginning to train again for the pageant.
“Never in a million years would I have imagined being in the Miss England final, but here we are,” she said as she shared a makeup-free selfie taken at the beach.
Mehak Chandel, 23, a special needs teaching assistant, has also struggled to accept her natural appearance.
“I am someone who has struggled with acne for almost 10 years now,” she said.
“It used to be a defining factor in my beauty — if I had clear skin, I was ‘beautiful,’ and even the smallest pimple would leave me feeling ‘ugly.’ However, over the years I grew and accepted that this is just a part of me, as is an arm or leg, and it has nothing to do with my beauty or self-worth.”
To show off her self-acceptance, Chandel proudly shared a selfie she took in natural lighting about 30 minutes after she woke up.
“Although this picture clearly depicts my acne scarring and pimples I don’t feel less beautiful than the other,” she said.
“These are both me. I have learned to embrace all of me for who I am, and I will constantly strive to empower all young people to see themselves in the same way, to know that society cannot dictate what is ‘perfect,’ and anything considered a ‘flaw’ is really just a simple part of you — it is not entirely you.
“We are all beautiful in every form we come in.”
The social media campaign comes as the competition banned its controversial swimwear round for the first time and will incorporate a makeup-free catwalk as part of the competition.
