Lupita Nyong'o Grazia Cover Hair

BenihimeArt

Siraad Dirshe Nov, 12, 2017

It has happened again.

Another magazine has allegedly Photoshopped a Black woman’s hair off its cover. The latest victim, none other than gorgeous actress and Lancome ambassador Lupita N’yongo.

The Oscar winner graces the latest cover of the UK-based magazine Grazia. In a lengthy post on Instagram, Lupita vented about her frustration with media outlets who try to erase the beauty of her natural heritage.

“As I have made clear so often in the past with every fiber of my being, I embrace my natural heritage and despite having grown up thinking light skin and straight, silky hair were the standards of beauty, I now know that my dark skin and kinky, coily hair are beautiful too,” she shared.

The side-by-side of the original shot and the cover make it crystal clear why Lupita was so disappointed — her hair was completely Photoshopped to be smooth, leaving out her kinky coily ponytail.

As I have made clear so often in the past with every fiber of my being, I embrace my natural heritage and despite having grown up thinking light skin and straight, silky hair were the standards of beauty, I now know that my dark skin and kinky, coily hair are beautiful too. 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. 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. Had I been consulted, I would have explained that I cannot support or condone the omission of what is my native heritage with the intention that they appreciate that there is still a very long way to go to combat the unconscious prejudice against black women's complexion, hair style and texture. #dtmh

A post shared by Lupita Nyong'o (@lupitanyongo) on Nov 9, 2017 at 6:11pm PST

While the magazine has since issued an apology saying they, “are committed to representing diversity throughout its pages and apologizes unreservedly to Lupita Nyong’o,” this feel a bit too little too late. How can a magazine be committed to showcasing diversity when they blatantly changed the texture and style of the cover star’s hair?

Vernon François, the man behind Lupita’s ‘dos, was too upset by the hair debacle. “It’s time to celebrate the beauty of textured hair in all its glory,” he said on Instagram. The hairdresser who has made it his mission to showcase the beauty of our hair, wants honest depictions of our hair’s textures in the media.

It's time to celebrate the beauty of textured hair in all its glory. Its imperative to have honest depictions of the vivacity of textured hair in the media so that we can embrace the reality that there is no one standard of beauty. #Repost @lupitanyongo ・・・ As I have made clear so often in the past with every fiber of my being, I embrace my natural heritage and despite having grown up thinking light skin and straight, silky hair were the standards of beauty, I now know that my dark skin and kinky, coily hair are beautiful too. 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. 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. Had I been consulted, I would have explained that I cannot support or condone the omission of what is my native heritage with the intention that they appreciate that there is still a very long way to go to combat the unconscious prejudice against black women's complexion, hair style and texture. #dtmh

A post shared by Vernon François (@vernonfrancois) on Nov 9, 2017 at 6:22pm PST

And we couldn’t agree more. If we continue to only deem one kind of woman beautiful, how will we ever expand the definition of beauty?