Beauty pageant candidates in Negros Oriental go makeup-free

#NOFILTER The Search for Negrosanon Queen 2021 may just be one of the many beauty pageants in the country, but it surely stands out from the rest.

The makeup-free Negrosanon Queen 2021 and runners-up blow kisses to the camera / Source: @NegrosanonPalanggaon (FB)

Beauty pageants are known for their glamorous nature and serve as a platform where women (and also men) get to showcase their beauty, talent, brains, and advocacies, all while glammed up and wearing their gorgeous swimwear and formal wear.

However, the Negrosanon Queen 2021 pageant, held last February 7 in Negros Oriental, recently made headlines for breaking the age-old tradition of having contestants get all dolled up when competing.

Aside from not having makeup on, it was also a requirement to not have physical enhancements, or in other words, candidates should not have undergone plastic surgery.

During his welcome speech, Bayawan City Mayor Pryde Henry Teves, explained the inspiration behind the bold move that the beauty pageant took.

In his speech delivered in Bisaya, Mayor Teves said that the pageant is one-of-a-kind because women will get to showcase their natural beauty and not hide behind good lighting, makeup, or filter.

It's no secret that with the rise of social media and beauty enhancements, the standards of beauty seem to have skyrocketed to an unattainable level, especially when celebrities or influencers alter their looks with makeup and filters or even surgery.

This leads their followers to think that in order to be beautiful, they need to achieve the same level of perfection. But the truth is things are not as they seem, because their flaws are only hidden underneath their makeup and deceiving filters or transformed permanently through cosmetic surgery.

And this is ultimately the reason why the Negrosanon Queen 2021 wants to champion the natural beauty of their women.

As Mayor Teves puts it, the woman who will be crowned Miss Negrosanon Queen 2021 is someone who's beautiful both when glammed up and when she is bare-faced.

The 25 candidates of the Negrosanon Queen 2021 were all without makeup during their production number, introduction, swimwear competition, evening gown competition, Q&A portion, and all the way up to the actual coronation of the new queen.

Among all the Negrosanon beauties who vied for the coveted crown, Kathryn May Salacut from Tayasan emerged as the victor and was crowned Miss Negrosanon Queen 2021.

Daphne Kyara Algarme of Bais City finished as 1st runner-up, while Renelyn Deguit from Ayungon was declared the 2nd runner-up.

During the Q&A, Kathryn May shared her experience as a COVID survivor and what she has witnessed recently that gave her hope for humanity.

The Miss Negrosanon 2021 pageant seems to be the first beauty pageant in the country to take such a revolutionary step in promoting the natural beauty of Filipino women.

In 2019, the Miss England beauty pageant first introduced a “makeup free” round in the competition.

And in that same year, some Miss Universe candidates shared makeup-free photos ahead of the renowned beauty pageant to reveal their natural beauty.

Now, that a beauty pageant in the Philippines took this brave step, will other beauty competitions in the country and the rest of the world follow suit? We shall soon find out.

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Take a look at some of the celebrities who look gorgeous even without makeup: