Lupita Nyong’o: “My Hair Is Something That, Historically, Has Been Shunned”

Actress Lupita Nyongo recently opened up on how she was once shunned for her natural hair.

During an interview with Porter Mag, the 35-year-old “Black Panther” star shared the abuse she endured from rocking her kinky tresses. “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’?” said Nyong’o.

“Natural, African, kinky hair — it’s often been painted as uncivilized or wild,” Nyong’o continued. “Being featured on the cover of a magazine fulfills 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.”

Nyong’o has been scrutinized in several incidents for her hair; however, she’s never let that stop her from exemplifying her true beauty. We were stunned when she showed off her fro during the 2016 Met Gala. Unfortunately, her style was mocked by society. It happened again when she posed for the cover of Grazia UK back in November 2017 when the magazine edited her hair into a sleek ponytail. Nyong’o clapped back at their disrespectful actions, which they later apologized for. “I am disappointed that @graziauk invited me to be on their cover and then edited out and smoothed my hair to fit their notion of what beautiful hair looks like,” Nyong’o wrote on Instagram.

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Prior to her most recent experience, the actress opened up about being sexually harassed by #HarveyWeinstein — to which she reflected on how her mother influenced her to speak out about her heartbreaking experience. “I come from a very patriarchal world, but not within my family,” Nyong’o said. “My dad listened to my mom. My mom held her own. There was never a sense of her deflecting from my father. She had the power to say no to things, and I saw her hold that power.”

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Nyong’o’s full Porter Mag interview hits newsstands Aug. 10.