Beauty Pageant Contestant Inspires #NoMakeUpSelfie Anti-cyberbullying Campaign

It all began in North Carolina when a cyberbully chose to victimize the reigning Miss Greater Port City Outstanding Teen with a Twitter post from the anonymous handle “Idk Idk”.  The post showed two pictures of Isabella Gaines, one with makeup and one without, attempting to highlight Gaines flaws without makeup and question her natural beauty.

To some, an action like this would play at their strongest insecurities.  Unlike most, Gaines used this situation to rise above her cyberbully with a thoughtful Instagram post.  The post took a stand against cyberbullying, starting an anti-cyberbullying campaign with the hashtag #NoMakeUpSelfie and encouraging others to join the campaign.

Gaines’s thoughtful post can be seen below.

Check out some of the others who jumped on board with the campaign below.

I am LOVING this movement. #nomakeupselfie #iwokeuplikethis #Flawless WE LOVE YOU @bellagainess pic.twitter.com/kpxV7BKdJb

— Lyndsey Stephens (@BabyLynssss) July 1, 2015

Supporting the @mncoteen contestants! #StopCyberBullying#DELovesNC#Sisterhood#BeYOUtiful#StandWithNC#MDOTeen2008pic.twitter.com/0qPttqDMtY — Amanda Debus (@RealADebus) July 2, 2015

The #nomakeupselfie campaign to #stopcyberbullying is on @TIME! So proud of our compassionate contestants! pic.twitter.com/qcsujNaITB

— Miss NC Pageant (@MissNCPageant) July 8, 2015

Even Miss America 2015,Kira Kazantsev, got on board with the campaign.

Shine light beams outya face and in the words of @taylorswift just “shake it off” ❤️❤️ #nomakeup #nofilter #ThereSheIs #MissAmerica2015 #YesMyShirtSaysCoffeeFirst #WokeUpLikeThis #nomakeupselfie A photo posted by Miss America Kira Kazantsev (@missamericaorg) on Jul 1, 2015 at 9:42pm PDT

1989 Miss America winner Gretchen Carlson also participated in the campaign.

Supporting @bellagainess #nomakeupselfie campaign to combat bullying @MissAmericaOrg @MissNCPageant #GettingReal pic.twitter.com/R92yw2ld84

— Gretchen Carlson (@GretchenCarlson) July 9, 2015

Some of our local Arizona beauty pageant contestants also got on board with the campaign, showing us both their natural beauty and their true inner beauty radiating from the confidence seen even without a perfectly put-together face.  See Arizona’s beautiful Miss Maricopa County below.

Never let anyone dull your sparkle. Over the past month, Miss North Carolina’s Outstanding Teen contestants were cyber bullied for pictures of them with no makeup. My heart aches that anyone would ever tell a woman something other than “you’re beautiful.” With or without make-up, we are all absolutely radiant in every way. Thank you @bellagainess for responding in such a mature and powerful way. Bullying should not be tolerated for any reason and it takes true a strong woman to be able to stand up the way that you did! #MissMC2015 #MissArizona2015 #MissAmerica #sisterhood #BeYOUtiful #confidence #NoMakeUpSelfie #TranaformationTuesday #LoveYourSelfie

A photo posted by Christina Tetreault (@cetetreault) on Jul 14, 2015 at 8:39am PDT