Cover Trends: Lupita Nyong’o Welcomes Spring In Style

Actress Lupita Nyong’o has had a full load since she dazzled the fashion world with her ethereal looks and seamless elegance. She brought the industry to its knees with her memorable performance in the Oscar-winning film 12 Years a Slave.

Nyong’o is currently enjoying her first stint on Broadway in the critically acclaimed play, Eclipsed, written by Walking Dead star and playwright, Danai Gurira. In early winter, the Oscar-winner traveled the globe to celebrate the release of the most highly anticipated movie in recent memory – Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Nyong’o schedule may sound out of this world, but the Kenyan beauty still made time to stylishly welcome spring with her very first In Style cover.

Looking immaculately regal in green, Nyong’o dishes on everything including her refreshing decision to go bald, “I wasn’t sure if I could pull off the bald look”. “Because hair is the frame of the face, right? And we spend so much time on it, trying to get it perfect. It often defines one’s beauty and feminine value”.

Nyong’o goes on to explain the relief that followed after her daring move; “It was shocking at first, especially for my mom. But I learned to embrace my features. And I like myself a lot more now that I’m not constantly fussing over my hair”.

The 33-year-old also opens up about her concerns after winning the best supporting actress back in 2014 – especially given the dismal track record of past winners, “They go on to appear in bomb after bomb after bomb”. Bearing that mind, it’s hard not to recall Halle Berry’s disgraceful post Oscar outing in the box office dud – Catwoman comes to mind.

But Nyong’o seems to have perfected the art of charting her course to match her healthy zeal for projects that challenge and inspire.

She as two upcoming Disney films in her future – Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book, scheduled to hit theaters April 15 and Queen of Katwe – directed by Mira Nair  – about a young chess prodigy from Uganda. That film will be released sometime this fall.

Nyong’o also tackled the issue of diversity, which took center stage during the past awards season as #OscarsSoWhite shed light on the relentless trend that showcases mostly white talent in the nominations list.

Actress Jada Pinkett Smith and director Spike Lee sparked the boycotting wave that threatened the principles and integrity of the Academy.

Nyong’o who was the last person of color to garner an Academy Award is hopeful that the ongoing conversation will force the industry to take serious steps in the right direction. “There is a real imbalance, from the very creation of the stories and who’s telling them, how, and why. Change has to happen with the writers, the studio, the marketers, the directors. That’s got to be diversified because there is a hunger for the expansion of the role of people of color in the center of narratives”.

Smart and beautiful, with talent to boot – Nyong’o is certainly aware of the value in remaining relevant and is winningly aligning herself with the scribes that emphasize why she is enduringly invaluable.

For more on the interview with In Style, click here.