Catriona Gray took to Instagram on November 7 as she posted a bare-faced selfie. She wrote, “This is the skin I wake up in every day. I love playing with makeup and being glam, but I've also grown to love the skin I wake up in acne scars, moles and all.”
The Miss Universe titleholder continued, “I too have days where I don’t feel confident, or my insecurities are louder...but that's okay. Loving yourself as you are is a journey, but it's a journey worth taking.”
Catriona’s post is part of the #AsSheIs challenge, an Instagram challenge that encourages women to be “vulnerable and real” on social media.
The challenge works by posting your unfiltered photo which is paired with a caption that shows a side of yourself that you do not typically show online. The aim is to bring back perspective to social media and serves as a reminder that everyone has insecurities and bad days—even though social media conveys that we’re happy and confident all the time.
Catriona tagged her fellow pageant queens Nicole Cordoves and Sandra Lemonon to take on the challenge as well.
Catriona has been vocal about her struggles with self-confidence. In July 2019, Catriona shared her thoughts on body shaming and online bullying when she hosted a Twitter Q&A. Catriona said, “Body shaming is hurtful and [should] never be tolerated. If anyone reading this too has been [body shamed], I know how it feels. I'm sorry you've had to experience that. But [know] that you are more than your appearance. You are a capable, unique, and worthy person. And you are never alone.”
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