Following the recent controversy over her Vanity Fair cover, where the magazine is accused of digitally lightening her skin, Lupita Nyong’o is being hailed as a role model for darker-skinned women.
In an online article for The Grio, writer Kunbi Tinuoye reveals that journalists and specialists on skin colour politics, amongst fans of the star, welcome Lupita as an icon widening the spectrum on what is deemed as beautiful.
In the article, Emmy-winning journalist Kelley L. Carter, says:
“I am very inspired to see mainstream acceptance and reactions to Lupita’s beauty. I grew up in a time when dark-skinned women weren’t seen as beautiful. A lot changed when Naomi Campbell came on the scene (and) though Campbell is stunning, there is no denying Lupita comes from the Motherland. I hope her presence widens the spectrum for what we see as beautiful.”
Tinuoye also quotes Dr. Yaba Blay, the co-director of Africana Studies at Drexel University and a leading voice on global skin colour politics, who spoke of being “uncomfortable this is a once in awhile occurrence.” Blay then went on to say:
“I am waiting to see if this will transcend in more women who look like Lupita, or look like me, in the mainstream media. People are taking their cue from mainstream media but there are Lupitas everywhere.”
Carter also added, in the article:
“I hope Lupita, and the women who look like Lupita, will see this as a shift in how dark-skinned women are viewed. It’s another advancement and redefining what a beautiful woman is.”
We at SPICE couldn’t agree more. Read The Grio’s full article, here.
Image source: Huffingtonpost.com, Dazeddigital.com, Hairscapades.com, Ohlalablog.com
