Lupita Nyong’o Reveals She Was Told Her Dark Skin Would Keep Her From Finding A Husband, Dishes On Beauty Standards
2014 has certainly been a huge year for Lupita Nyong'o.
The 31-year-old actress not only starred in one of the biggest films of the year, "12 Years a Slave," but also won an Academy Award for her brilliant performance in the Steve McQueen movie, becoming the 7th black actress to win Best Supporting Actress.
As Lupita has also become a fashion icon over the past year, it was only fitting that Glamour magazine feature her on the cover of their "Women of 2014" December issue. In the mag, Nyong'o talked about beauty and how skin color continues to affect what the world perceives as "beautiful."
"European standards of beauty are something that plague the entire world-the idea that darker skin is not beautiful, that light skin is the key to success and love," said Nyong'o. "Africa is no exception. When I was in the second grade, one of my teachers said, 'Where are you going to find a husband? How are you going to find someone darker than you?' I was mortified."
The film star, who was recently cast in the upcoming "Star Wars" reboot, recalled watching a television ad when she was younger that clearly suggested that lighter skin was more not only more glamorous, but also more desirable for practical reasons.
"I remember seeing a commercial where a woman goes for an interview and doesn't get the job. Then she puts a cream on her face to lighten her skin, and she gets the job! This is the message: that dark skin is unacceptable. I definitely wasn't hearing this from my immediate family-my mother never said anything to that effect-but the voices from the television are usually much louder than the voices of your parents," said Nyong'o.
"I come from a loving, supportive family, and my mother taught me that there are more valuable ways to achieve beauty than just through your external features," the actress added. "She was focused on compassion and respect, and those are the things that ended up translating to me as beauty. Beautiful people have many advantages, but so do friendly people.... I think beauty is an expression of love."
Well said! Lupita can certainly add wise to her long list of glowing attributes. Here's to 2015 becoming the year of Lupita again!
