Lupita Nyong’o wants to empower black women to embrace their natural hair
The Oscar winning actress – who was born in Mexico to Kenyan parents – says her “natural, African, kinky hair” has been “shunned” within the entertainment and fashion industries and she has lost out on work because of it.
But now, as a prominent Hollywood star, Lupita feels it is her responsibility to encourage other women who share her heritage to be proud of the locks nature gave them.
Speaking to Porter magazine – of which she is the cover star – she said: “My hair is something that, historically, has been shunned. I mean, how often do you hear ‘You can’t get a job with hair like that?’
“Natural, African, kinky hair – it’s often been painted as uncivilised or wild. Being featured on the cover of a magazine fulfils me as it is an opportunity to show other dark, kinky-haired people, and particularly our children, that they are beautiful just the way they are”
The 12 Years a Slave star is writing a children’s book to help young dark-skinned children to be proud of their looks
The tome is titled Sulwe – which means “Star” in Lupita’s native language Luo – and is focused on a five-year-old girl and her life growing up in Kenya.
Sulwe has the darkest skin colour in her family and she wants to find a way to lighten her tone but over the course of the story she embarks on a fantastical nighttime adventure that helps her see beauty differently.
The book is being released by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers in January 2019.
Source: all4women.co.za