Social media was ablaze Sunday night when Lupita Nyong’o took home the Oscar for ‘Best Supporting Actress‘. These last few months have been a Lupita feeding frenzy, with everyone clamoring to see what she’ll wear next and proclaiming her beauty through every social media avenue available.
News outlets have also been bitten by the bug and have repeatedly remarked at how gorgeous she is. One commentary that has been markedly absent from the discourse within the media is her skin color. The various outlets will say that she’s a “goddess” that she’s “perfect”, yet they seem to skirt around having to mention her skin. The closest they’ll come is saying that she is “radiant” or “glowing”.
On the one hand, it is refreshing to have the entire world seemingly go gaga over a black woman. It doesn’t happen nearly often enough. However, I want to challenge the mainstream media outlets to say it: her skin is flawless. And I don’t want them to say it in the context of her having no blemishes, but to acknowledge that her ebony complexion is one of the things that makes her beautiful. I want them to relish in that chocolatey goodness.
I know this seems like I’m seeking validation from mainstream media for something that we all (should) know is beautiful. But that’s far from the truth. I simply want them to stop being afraid to mention it. I’m asking that they proclaim that black is beautiful and let that sunshine sit on the shoulders of little brown children the world over. I don’t want them to pretend like they ‘don’t see color’, but rather state boldly that they see it and they marvel at its beauty.
For too long, black women have been pretty ‘in spite of’. She’s beautiful in spite of her wide nose, her full hips, her natural curls, her plump lips…her skin. Enough. We are remarkably gorgeous and our skin is a big part of that. It needs not only to be acknowledged as a part of our loveliness, but celebrated as such.