Hollywood star Lupita Nyong’o has opened up about being “shunned” for her natural hair texture.
In an interview, with Porter magazine, Nyong’o pushed back on historically racist and sexist ideas and spread a message of self-acceptance to young people with hair and complexions like hers.
“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 uncivilized or wild,” she said.
It is not the first time the Oscar-winner has spoken about this in the media.
Last year, Nyong’o called out Grazia magazine for editing her hair in their cover shoot to look smoother and “fit their notion of what beautiful hair looks like”.
In the interview, she also opened up about being sexually harassed by Harvey Weinstein and shared how her mother gave her the strength to speak up about the harrowing experience.
“I come from a very patriarchal world, but not within my family. 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,” Nyong’o said.
