Kenyan beauty Lupita Nyong'o: 'I used to pray for lighter skin'
Oscar nominee Lupita Nyong'o had guests at the Essence Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon moved to tears as she recalled how she had struggled to accept her dark complexion as a child and used to pray for lighter skin.
The 12 Years A Slave star opened up about her self-confidence battles while picking up the Best Breakthrough Performance Award at the annual event on Thursday (27Feb14), when the Kenyan actress admitted it had taken her years to feel comfortable in her own skin.
She started her acceptance speech by reading out a letter sent to
her by a young fan, who wrote, "Dear Lupita, I think you're really
lucky to be this black but yet this successful in Hollywood
overnight. I was just about to buy Dencia's Whitenicious cream to
lighten my skin when you appeared on the world map and saved
me."
Recalling her response to the note, she told the audience, which
included fellow actresses Kerry Washington, Oprah Winfrey, Angela
Bassett and Naomie Harris, "My heart bled a little when I read
those words."
Nyong'o then remembered how she had been "teased and taunted" about
her "night-shaded skin" as a youth and how she had prayed every
night for a little help from God.
She said, "My one prayer to God, the miracle worker, was that I
would wake up lighter-skinned. The morning would come and I would
be so excited about seeing my new skin that I would refuse to look
down at myself until I was in front of a mirror because I wanted to
see my fair face first. And every day I experienced the same
disappointment of being just as dark as I was the day before."
The actress revealed it was only when she laid eyes on Sudanese
supermodel Alek Wek that she recognized the beauty in her own skin
color.
She continued, "When I saw Alek I inadvertently saw a reflection of
myself that I could not deny. Now, I had a spring in my step
because I felt more seen, more appreciated by the far away
gatekeepers of beauty."
Nyong'o concluded her speech by addressing the young fan whose
letter had so deeply moved her: "I hope that my presence on your
screens and in the magazines may lead you, young girl, on a similar
journey. That you will feel the validation of your external beauty
but also get to the deeper business of being beautiful inside.
There is no shame in black beauty."
Cheryl Boone Isaacs, the President of the Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences, the organization behind the Oscars, was also
honored at the Essence luncheon.