Paige Loren, who is from Liverpool, wanted to show the world her “authentic self” in a bid to celebrate natural beauty — and so she ditched make-up for the shoot
Paige Loren, right, is pictured with her cousin Olivia (Image: Miss England / SWNS)
A beauty queen who competed in the Miss England final make-up free wants to inspire a generation of social-media obsessed young woman.
Paige Loren, 21, was named Britain’s “bare faced top model” after taking to the Miss England catwalk completely make-up free in November. Despite her nerves, she found the experience empowering and now hopes to use it to help other women.
Paige, who is the reigning Miss Liverpool, said she wants to encourage the next generation to be more confident in their natural skin and not to hide behind filters and too much make-up when posting on social media.
“I have young cousins who lookup to me. Even my seven-year-old niece knows all about fillers, make up and filters on social media. I want to try and change the narrative, and I believe it starts with social media,” Paige said.
“Teenage girls should feel empowered to go make up free and post realistic images and accept themselves for who they are… Wearing no makeup in a competition like Miss England is more than a statement – it’s a celebration of authenticity.”
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Paige competed in the Miss England final make-up free(Image: Alan Strutt / SWNS)
Paige, who placed eighth in the whole competition, said she wants to promote more realistic beauty standards to young girls. She continued: “It was empowering as the judges saw the real me. I’ve competed in pageants all over the world wearing full glam: lashes, contour, glitter — the lot. But this time, I wanted to show up as me. No glam. No filter. Just confidence.
“It was simply me choosing to show up as myself — nothing more, nothing less. If even one girl saw me on the Miss England stage and feels braver about her own skin — then I’ve already won.
The young model, from Liverpool, has won beauty pageants across the globe in “full glam” but decided in November she would portray the special message. She added: “I did worry if I’d done the right thing when I saw everyone getting their makeup done. But once I walked out on the main stage make-up-free, I felt free.”
Paige hopes to inspire a generation of young people(Image: Alan Strutt / SWNS)
The proud Liverpudlian has been praised for her crusade (Image: Alan Strutt / SWNS)
Paige, who works in insurance, was also making the bold statement on the national stage to highlight her own struggles with dyslexia. She continued: “II’m also a qualified personal trainer and nail technician, something I’ve trained hard for over the past few years.
“If I’m honest, life hasn’t always been easy. All through school, I struggled without knowing why. It wasn’t until college that I was diagnosed with dyslexia — and honestly, it was such a relief. I finally understood myself.
“Dyslexia doesn’t hold you back – it just means you learn differently. Now I want to help others feel confident in their own abilities too.
Paige becomes only the second competitor in the competition’s near 100-year history to appear at the final make-up free after Melisa Raouf, 24, did the same in 2022.