Make-up girl banned from school for five months

A TEENAGE girl has missed school since last October because she refused to wash off her make-up.

Now 400 pupils at Melanie de Souza's school have signed a petition supporting her.

Melanie, 15, claimed she was singled out after she turned up for classes in lip gloss, light face powder and pale blusher.

She said last night: "The first time I was pulled up for wearing make- up I immediately took it off. But I noticed that the teacher did not ask the other girls to do the same. I'm Portuguese-Indian and have dark skin, so I don't need a lot of make-up. But like lots of other teenagers it helps my self-esteem.

After a confrontation with staff her mother Julie, a 39-year-old artist, withdrew Melanie from the New Wellington High School in Timperley, Greater Manchester.

School rules say make-up is not allowed - but pupils have signed a petition because they say the rule was not applied to everyone.

Melanie claims her classmates were allowed to wear silver eye- shadow and bright red lipstick and girls as young as 11 or 12 went to school in make-up.

She is due to take five GCSEs in May but is stuck at home waiting to start college in September.

"No other school will accept me so close to the end of my GCSE year," she said. Mother Julie added: "I refused to keep her in a school where she was being intimidated."

Headmaster John Watson said: "Melanie has a place here provided she adheres to the school rules."

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