Pageant Queens Are Posting #NoMakeup Selfies to Combat Cyber-Bullying

The beauty of social media is when people use it to band together to spread positivity. WNCN says that after North Carolina beauty queen, Isabella Gaines, was cyber-bullied with a side-by-side image of her with and without makeup on an anonymous Twitter account, she took to Instagram to combat the hater. Apparently, the troll was posting photos of many of the area's beauty queens sans makeup to the feed. Rude.

1 Samuel 16:7 For the Lord sees not as man sees: Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. Tonight I received a Twitter notification that directed me to a tweet I found to be offensive and degrading. I used to be very insecure about how I looked without makeup, but I am comfortable in my own skin and have accepted I am not flawless because I know I'm made in God's image. In order to remain kind I follow what I perceive to be the Golden Rule which is "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Rude or ugly comments hurt and destroy self-esteem. Beauty comes from within. I just wanted to remind everyone that you are all beautiful, fearfully and wonderfully made in God's image.

A photo posted by Isabella Noel (@bellagainess) on Jun 30, 2015 at 7:32pm PDT

A fellow pageant sister of hers, Kenzie Hansley, decided to help. WNCN says she posted her own makeup-free photo alongside a dolled-up pageant head shot with the message: "You are beautiful both ways and I feel beautiful both ways too. Keep rocking the #nomakeupselfie." Since then, hundreds of pageant girls have followed suit. Pageant queens from California to Hawaii have joined the movement. The already viral hashtag just got more beautiful!

Katie Knowles, who is Miss Statesville 2015, told Fox Carolina that her make-up free post combats the comment she received saying she looked "disgusting" without cosmetics.

@kwurtyup feel free to post- I feel beautiful in BOTH photos. Stop tearing people down. #nomakeup #Stopcyberbullying pic.twitter.com/3veGrFUqxi

"It was a really empowering feeling to say, no I don't. You're wrong. And I feel very comfortable with who I am," Knowles said.

Instead of surrendering to negativity, these young women have embraced a bare face in the name of empowerment. See, social media can do some good. Check out some of the other gorgeous #nomakeupselfie posts by other pageant queens below: