Why Lupita Nyong'o's 'People' Cover Is So Significant
It has been a very good 12 months for Lupita Nyong'o: piles of awards (including an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her portrayal of Patsy in 12 Years a Slave), a contract to be the face of Lancme Paris cosmetics, and now this: the cover of People's annual "50 Most Beautiful" issue.
Counting Nyong'o's new crowning, there are now three black women who have been on People's cover in the 25 years the "Most Beautiful" issue has been published. Halle Berry was first in 2003, followed by Beyonce in 2012. But as Wall Street Journal columnist Teri Agins says, Nyong'o is not racially ambiguous: "She has African features, she's dark-skinned with nappy hair. And — she's beautiful."
"Validation by the mainstream media is what makes this big," says Agins, who has been on Lupita Watch for months. People's accessibility and reach is part of the reason why Nyongo's newest title is so significant. "It's the ultimate validation that someone of deep color, with African features, has been declared beautiful," Agins says.