Miss England goes make up free after influx of young entrants with botox and fillers

Miss England has gone make-up free for the first time after organisers expressed shock at the number of young women modifying their faces as part of the competition.

The prolific beauty pageant will now feature a round where contestants are required to be completely free of make up in an attempt to support body positivity and natural beauty.

Before competing  in the 2019 heats, entrants were required to submit photographs of themselves with no makeup, filters or editing.

It comes after critics claimed the competition sets an unhealthy standard of beauty and similar competitions have come under fire for being critical of hopeful young women’s bodies.

In 2017, Zoiey Smale from Nottinghamshire pulled out of the Miss United Continents pageant, announcing on Facebook post, that she was "asked to lose weight and go on a diet plan” even though she was a Size 10.

The Miss Great Britain event has also been criticised by mental health campaigners for including a bikini round.

But in an attempt to address the numbers of contestants turning to injectable solutions for their faces such as fillers and botox, the winner of the 'Bare Face Top Model' round in Miss England 2019 will be fast-tracked through to the final 20 in the contest.

"Recently we have been shocked to see Miss England contestants as young as 19 undergoing lip filler treatments and even Botox, and so many entering with full faces of thick makeup covering their natural beauty,” said Miss England director Angie Beasley.

"We tell the girls they don't need fillers, fake eyelashes and tattooed brows to enter our contest, but it just shows what a damaging effect edited social media images can have on young women's self-esteem and mental health,” she added.

“The difference between what impressionable women see on social media and TV and reality is getting out of hand, which is why we decided to launch this round for the first time in the pageant's history.”

Heats are currently being held for the pageant with just 54 contestants competing in a series of challenges before the winner is chosen to represent the country at the next Miss World.

One of this year’s Miss England semi-finalists, Claire Bell, has also recently launched a body positivity campaign.

The 25-year-old from Carlisle is aiming to show young girls what is “beneath the skin” after pinning a great deal of self-esteem issues on social media images.

The shake-up comes after more than 20,000 young women entered this year’s competition.

The final takes place Newcastle between July 31 and August 1, with the winner given a luxury holiday to Mauritius and a place in Miss World, which has a top prize of $100,000.

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