Almost a month after Solange’s braided crown was photoshopped from a UK magazine, another publication has come under fire for editing Lupita Nyong’o tresses from their cover.
On Thursday (Nov. 9), Grazia magazine presented the Academy-award winning actress as their latest cover star, with an assumed sleek fade-resembling look. After the cover gained traction online, Nyong’o revealed that the original photo included her natural ponytail. The omission tempted the actress to drop some truth bombs about the importance of black hair in the mainstream.
“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,” she said on Instagram. “I am disappointed that Grazia UK 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, hairstyle and texture.”
Grazia UK issued an apology to Nyong’o, but attempted to distance themselves from the accusation, claiming that they didn’t know her natural hair was edited.
“Grazia is committed to representing diversity throughout its pages and apologizes unreservedly to Lupita Nyong’o. Grazia magazine would like to make it clear that at no point did they make any editorial request to the photographer for Lupita Nyong’o’s hair to be altered on this week’s cover, nor did we alter it ourselves. But we apologize unreservedly for not upholding the highest of editorial standards in ensuring that we were aware of all alterations that had been made.”
— Grazia UK (@GraziaUK) November 10, 2017
The interview however, covers Nyong’o ideals of beauty and her humble beginnings. “Growing up, it was a lot cheaper to make your own clothes than to buy them, so my mother would have our outfits made,” she said. “Then, I started to do it myself – I would look through catalogues, and draw the things I wanted. I just loved doing my own thing.” She also shared how the success of 12 Years A Slave weighed on her soul. “The body registers stress, whether good or bad, in the same way,” she explained. “So if it’s super exciting or super traumatizing, your body is in equal distress. Though I would choose excitement over trauma every day.”