#fqedit

Lupita Nyong’o, Cannes 2018.

“European standards of beauty are something that plague the entire world-the idea that darker skin is not beautiful, that light skin is the key to success and love. Africa is no exception. When I was in the second grade, one of my teachers said, 'Where are you going to find a husband? How are you going to find someone darker than you?' I was mortified. I remember seeing a commercial where a woman goes for an interview and doesn't get the job. Then she puts a cream on her face to lighten her skin, and she gets the job! This is the message: that dark skin is unacceptable. I definitely wasn't hearing this from my immediate family-my mother never said anything to that effect-but the voices from the television are usually much louder than the voices of your parents."

“I went to an all-boys high school, and they accepted girls in only the two A.P. classes. They had these archaic rules: For example, girls couldn’t wear makeup. I found it so outrageous that an all-boys school could tell girls to not wear makeup! So I went on a campaign. I got a petition signed and everything. If a girl wants to wear makeup to boost confidence, why not?[But] I’ve worked hard to feel beautiful in my natural skin. Personally, I don’t ever want to depend on makeup to feel beautiful.”

I cannot run away from who I am and my complexion or the larger society, and how they may view that," she said. "The European sense of beauty affects us all.”

Lupita Nyong'o attends the opening ceremony and premiere of "La Tete Haute" ("Standing Tall") during the 68th annual Cannes Film Festival on May 13, 2015 in Cannes, France.