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Teenager who posted selfie with make-up on just half her face to show the power of cosmetics is shocked as trolls call her natural look 'ugly' and 'disgusting'
Maisie Beech, 19, thought her-and-half make-up selfie was empowering
Student from Flemingston, Wales wanted to show her love for make-up
Some commenters even went as far to suggest she had cancer or alopecia
Maisie has been left feeling less confident since she posted the photos
Online commenters can be cruel, but a British teenager who posted half make-up selfies to show the 'power of make-up' was shocked when she received a barrage of nasty comments.
Maisie Beech, 19, from Flemingston, Wales, thought she was doing something empowering when she posted a selfie of her face half done up with dramatic make-up, while keeping the other half cosmetics free.
But soon after posting, the photo quickly spread around the internet and reactions turned mostly negative, much to the A-level student's dismay.
Maisie decided to take the picture with the aim of showing her love for wearing make-up, which she says she does only for herself and no one else.
She told MailOnline that she was inspired after her brother watched her apply her cosmetics one morning and was surprised by seeing the transformation take place.
The image was also meant to show her acceptance for her make-up free face, as she doesn't rely on products and will comfortably go bare-faced.
Yet after she posted the images online they swiftly swept the world and in the space of just two weeks have been seen by around two million people.
Her original half-and-half selfie has even been posted on Instagram by Kim Kardashian's make-up artist Mario Dedivanovic.
Yet along with users wowed by her cosmetics talents, others reacted more negatively calling her ugly, scary and disgusting. After seeing her make-up free side, some commenters even went as far to suggest she had cancer.
Maisie said: 'Personally, I love putting make-up on, it's what I do for fun.
'I wanted to show that I like make-up and I wear it for myself, but I'll also happily get on the train brow-less if I want to.
'It's sad that this is how society is now. Make-up can and is a part of fashion and girls like to experiment and be creative, we don't wear make-up to hide our faces or deceive people.
'We don't wear make-up for other people, it's something we do for ourselves.
'Women shouldn't be criticised or called fake or unnatural for wearing make-up in the same way they shouldn't be called ugly if they're not wearing any.
One site uploaded Maisie's photo with the caption 'This is why I have commitment issues', while another popular male-orientated site captioned it: 'When you first start hanging out vs. when she gets comfortable'.
Others said, 'take her swimming on a first date'.
Another commenter even suggested that the girl in the photo 'perhaps suffers from Alopecia', which is a hair loss condition.
However, Maisie - who says she spend around half an hour each day applying her make-up and that she is 'naturally ginger' - added: 'I’ve been drawing on my eyebrows since I was 12, they’re albino blonde.'
And she's been left disappointed by the violence of some of the comments from strangers including one man who said he'd punch her in the face if he woke up next to her.
She told MailOnline that the irony of her post is that it was 'meant to empower women, not make them feel worse but now it has. It will make people feel like they don't want to go make-up free because of the comments I got.'
Much of the reaction was from men, but many women added their voices with some writing on Instagram that would never need as much make-up because they're 'naturally pretty'.
But Maisie says she's refusing to be 'fazed' by the trolls. 'Another thing I've found sad about this whole thing is that people have said "you can't be rude about this girl, she's albino, she has cancer, alopecia".
'So what? Maybe be kind to people for the simple fact that they're a fellow human being with feelings. I don't see why our society needs to be guilt tripped into being decent to others.'
The photograph and its reactions highlights the pressure women face in society today to look perfect all the time, and how unrealistic that can be.
Maisie said: 'There were very few positive remarks if I'm honest, and it is sad. But I was aware that if I was putting it in the public domain, I am opening myself up to criticism.
'But the positive remarks did make it all worth it for me, it was nice to have some recognition for what I do outside of family and friends.'
