As a society, we are often fixated on the trends that
Hollywood dictates worthy of our attention. Trending topics include fashion, personal
style, talent and the people who embody these aspirational qualities. One such
person who has come into the limelight recently is actress and director, Lupita
Nyong’o.
Prior to her breakout role as Patsey in Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave, Nyong’o, a Mexican-born
Kenyan artist, attended the Yale School of Drama where she received her Master
of Fine Arts in Acting. The multi-talented actress received critical
acclaim for her performance in the Solomon Northup biopic. She was nominated
for such honours as the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, two
Screen Actors Guild Awards and, perhaps most notably, an Academy Award for Best
Supporting Actress. With the Oscars set to air this Sunday night, I will be watching
intently to see who wins in that particular category. Nyongo’o has the
potential of becoming the seventh woman
of African descent to receive an Academy Award. I might point
out that, thanks to shows like Fashion
Police, I will also be watching the Oscars to see what celebrities are wearing on the
red carpet.
It is this last point of interest that has catapulted Nyong’o
into phenom status – a global obsession. From her stunning Ralph Lauren cape at the Golden Globes, to her winning blue Gucci dress at the SAG Awards, Nyong’o continues to top best-dressed lists.
She is the subject of thousands of blog posts and has been featured in numerous
magazines including W Magazine, Vogue, Vanity Fair, InStyle and New York
Magazine. She was also recently cast in the Miu Miu Spring 2014 Campaign.
On top of her raw talent, impeccable style and humble charisma, I am convinced
that it is Nyong’o’s rich, flawless skin that attracts such intense admiration from
her fan base. At times a point of controversy,
it is Nyong’o’s dark skin tone that truly sets her apart within a North
American and Western context in general. Women of colour have for too long been
given a template of beauty that often excludes them or molds them to fit said template
accordingly. Black models with conventionally “Caucasian” features are viewed
as acceptable to an industry that typically favours a certain “look.” We’ve
heard the phrase “like a white girl dipped in chocolate.” Nyongo’o breaks this mold
with her edgy fade and ebony skin. Of course, there have been exceptions in the
fashion industry with supermodels Alek Wek and Ajak Deng paving the way for a broader aesthetic; but the industry remains
largely unchanged.
But is all this talk of fashion and skin tone superficial?
Is the obsession with Nyongo’s (and Wek’s and Deng’s) dark skin a form of
exoticism? For all of the criticism that Vanity Fair received for allegedly
lightening Nyong’o’s skin, have other magazines not overemphasized her dark
tone for added impact (Dazed & Confused)? Have we not, as a Black community, begun moving beyond the
constraints of shadism?
Surely, a phenom like Lupita Nyong’o serves as a reminder that beauty comes in
all shades. She serves as a reminder that talent is not confined to a single set
of expectations. Most of all, I look forward to seeing how Lupita Nyong’o continues
to hold our collective attention both on and off screen in the years to come.
