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Edinburgh Live
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Two Edinburgh pageant contestants aim to bring double Great Britain crown to capital
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Two Edinburgh beauty pageant contestants will compete to be crowned the winners of Miss Great Britain and Ms Great Britain in Leicester later this year, Jennifer Winter came out on top when she saw off dozens of other finalists to claim the coveted Miss Great Britain Edinburgh title during a glitzy ceremony at Prestonfield in early June 2025. The 27-year-old brunette, who is originally from Lanarkshire but works in the capital, now has her eyes on one of the UK's most coveted pageant crowns when the Miss Great Britain national final takes place in October 2025, the Record reports. Jennifer, who came second in last year's competition, said: 'This is a total dream come true for me. 'Never did I think I'd be heading to the Miss Great Britain stage, especially after only entering my first pageant last year, but I've absolutely fallen in love with the experience and everything the system stands for. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sentstraight to your messages. 'Last year, I came runner-up to Ava Morgan, who went on to be crowned Miss Great Britain 2024. It was such an inspiring moment and lit a fire in me to come back stronger and with a real sense of purpose. 'Now, to have won the Miss GB Edinburgh title myself and be following in Ava's footsteps is incredibly special.' Eighteen women competed in the Miss and Ms divisions of the competition, with contestants raising over £10,000 for Cancer Research UK and A-Sisterhood, an organisation that supports women's charities worldwide. (Image: Brian Hayes.) The winner in the Ms version of the competition, for women aged 28 to 39, was Samantha Masuku, who travelled from Zimbabwe to the UK as a refugee when she was just seven years old. She became the first black woman to hold the title of Ms Great Britain Edinburgh. 'After surviving a childhood marked by war, abuse, and homelessness, I've spent the past decade rebuilding my life in Scotland, raising my son alone while working my way up to a regional finance manager role,' said Samantha. 'Now, through this platform, I'm pursuing my true calling by creating opportunities, safety and empowerment for minority children and women who deserve the chance to thrive.' (Image: Brian Hayes.) Both Jennifer and Samantha hope to use their platforms to continue to raise funds and awareness for the causes close to each of them. Jennifer added: 'Pageants have given me something positive to focus on during the hardest year of my life. 'But through the hardship, I have chosen to reclaim my voice and turn pain into purpose through my platform, Walk Through It. 'My mission now is to empower women to keep moving forward, even if it's just one small step at a time.' (Image: Brian Hayes.) Kay Morgan, director of Miss and Ms Great Britain Edinburgh, said: 'Jennifer and Samantha are shining examples of what modern pageantry is all about: strength, authenticity and purpose. 'They each bring such powerful personal stories and are using their platforms to uplift others and create meaningful change not just here in Edinburgh, but across the country. Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox 'We're incredibly proud to support them and can't wait to see what they achieve on the national stage.' To find out more about Miss and Ms Great Britain Edinburgh, follow them on Instagram or email: missgbedinburgh@ The Miss Great Britain grand finals take place Friday, October 17, and will see three winners crowned – Miss Great Britain, Ms Great Britain, and Ms Great Britain Classic. To find out more, visit:
BBC News
08-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Make-up free Miss England round normalises 'real' beauty
Former beauty queens say a vote to keep make-up free rounds in the Miss England contest is important for "empowering" women and competition was one of the first to introduce a 'bare-faced' heat in 2019, but had considered removing it due to divided opinion among Raouf, 23, who competed make-up free for the whole contest in 2022, said it helped her feel "empowered and brave" after years of struggling with her Elle Seline, 34, who entered Ms Great Britain - one of the Miss Great Britain events - without make-up in 2021, said it helps "normalise" natural beauty. The winner of the Miss England Bare Face Top Model contest is fast-tracked to the final round of women vying for the overall January, organisers invited people to vote on social media whether to keep it as an optional round. Not everyone agreed the round should stay, with some commenting it could be "daunting" for some contestants, or reinforce a different kind of "beauty standard", with many stating the heat must remain the vast majority of people voted to keep it in the competition. Elle, who lives in Surrey, has previously spoken to the BBC about being bullied about her appearance at her Wiltshire said she hopes in a few years people entering beauty pageants without make-up could "be the norm", bringing pageants "out of the dark ages"."The key element is the choice for women to be able to do what they want with their body, their faces," she added. Melisa, from London, said she was initially "a bit worried" about going make-up free."I was so insecure - all the photos I posted before were filtered, altered, loads of makeup on, always comparing myself, always thinking I wasn't good enough," she said."There were all these toxic beauty standards. It had a really detrimental effect on my mental health."She said the feeling she got from winning the bare-faced round in the Miss England contest inspired her decision to compete make-up free in the whole said she was "actually quite upset" organisers were considering removing the make-up free element."It shows the people watching that these girls are not really glitz and glam 24-7, these is their real selves," she said."It's really refreshing for everyone to see." Since competing, she said she has started posting unfiltered photos online to help others "feel more happy in their skin, more beautiful"."I want to be that role model," she said."It should be normalised. If we don't want to wear make-up, we don't have to." She is considering entering Miss England bare-faced again this year and hopes other pageants will introduce make-up free heats in the future."At the end of the day it's a choice. I think that's what's so powerful about it," she said. Elle said since she entered Ms Great Britain bare-faced she has received messages from people who say she has helped also speaks in schools, colleges and mental health groups about her journey, body image and choice, and even took her message to Parliament in 2022."It's helped me become more my authentic self," she said."I'm so much more vulnerable with people, I don't put on that front any more, I don't hide behind things." "Beauty standards will always be a thing, but as long as we're talking and we're making these moments... I think that's where the changes will be," she added."Sometimes leaving the house without make-up is hard but people are realising that it is OK just to exist and be yourself." Angie Beasley, director of Miss England, one of the biggest beauty pageants in the UK, said she introduced the Bare Face Top Model heat to see the "real" people behind the applications."I was getting so many entries on our website from contestants with filters on and their faces covered in make-up we couldn't see the real contestant," she the vote to keep the bare-faced element, she said: "It's fantastic to know the contestants love the make-up free round so much - the feedback is they feel empowered."
