Lupita Nyong’o has skyrocketed into the national and international spotlight since the release of 12 Years a Slave and the buzz surrounding the current award season.

12 Years came out in October of 2013 with Nyong’o playing the supporting role of Patsy.

Since then, Nyong’o was a favorite for all of the national Hollywood awards. She didn’t take home a Golden Globe, but she recently snagged a SAG and a CCA (Screen Actors Guild and Critic’s Choice Award). She’s also been nominated for an NAACP Image Award and an Academy Award.

She’s been the talk of fashion and entertainment circles and can be seen on magazines, news broadcasts, social media, and websites of all types.

This is all amazing news for Nyong’o. But her explosive fame is also good news for the rest of us.

How? Well, to explain how, I must first put Nyongo’s success in the broader context of colorism in Hollywood.

Colorism in Hollywood

Today, dark-skinned women are still under- and misrepresented in Hollywood. Sadly, this is the case no matter the race of the filmmakers.

In fact, colorism is more obvious in films with all or majority black actors. In films such as Baggage Claim or Best Man Holiday or Coming to America, it’s clear that lighter skin (and “whiter” features) is the feminine beauty standard for women in Tinseltown.

Beyond movies, the lack of dark-skinned women in all forms of media has been noted before.

That’s why the ubiquity of Lupita Nyong’o’s image, the fact that we can see her almost everywhere, is such an exciting phenomenon.

More about Lupita Nyong’o

Lupita Nyong’o is a Kenyan woman who was born in Mexico in 1983. Her father was a politician and university professor. She and her family lived a middle class life in Nairobi.

At 19, she pursued studies in filmmaking at Hampshire College in Massachusetts, and not too long ago, she graduated from the Yale School of Drama with a Master’s in Acting.

Before her big break as an actress on the big screen, Lupita wrote, directed, and produced the 2009 documentary “In My Genes,” which looks at the treatment of albinos in Kenya.

In a Telegraph interview, Lupita’s own words about watching The Color Purple as a young girl so clearly illustrate the issue of colorism in Hollywood:

“It was the first time I’d seen someone like me on screen. Whoopi Goldberg had my kind of hair and was dark like me. I thought, maybe I could do this for a living.”

It’s safe to say that Lupita is now doing the same thing for other young girls right now.

Undermining Colorism in Hollywood

Here are a few ideas I have about exactly how Lupita Nyong’o and the buzz surrounding her could help fight colorism in Hollywood.

1) The simple fact that a dark-skinned actress with short, natural hair and “black” features is getting so much recognition and so many accolades will hopefully make filmmakers question their assumptions about who can appeal to a mass audience.

Too often people excuse colorism in casting by saying that “racially ambiguous” people are more relatable to a larger audience.

I say, please give me a strong break! If that were true, we wouldn’t see movies like Best Man Holiday with very dark-skinned male actors.

Lupita’s success exposes the lie in that excuse and reveals that movie makers repeatedly cast light-skinned women because they are caught up in colorism.

2) Lupita Nyong’o helps fight colorism because she is unmistakably dark-skinned (even when editors try to make her appear lighter than she really is), and yet people of all races all over the world are acknowledging her talent and beauty.

3) Lupita consistently wears her hair short and natural, helping to redefine what women must look like to gain acceptance in Hollywood.

Most black actresses on the red carpet wear straight hair, often with extensions or wigs. And there’s a common notion among many blacks that straight hair is necessary for mainstream success. Hopefully Lupita can move the needle on that harmful attitude as well.

Of course, Lupita might very well straighten her hair or don a wig or weave someday, maybe even soon. However, her courage to rock short, natural hair while first breaking into Hollywood (versus people who did so after already achieving a certain level of success) has definitely sent a strong message to the public.

4) I think her comment about Whoopi Goldberg suggests that Lupita is well aware of how her image impacts viewers around the world.

Many Hollywood stars attempt to be ahistorical. They want to pretend there’s no larger context for the roles they play on and off the screen. Such obliviousness, ignorance, or denial only supports the status quo.

By merely acknowledging the power of imagery in her personal life, Lupita has done more than many in progressing the fight against colorism (whether that was her intent or not).

Based on the subject of her 2009 documentary “In My Genes,” the role she chose to play in 12 Years a Slave and other comments she’s made, I’d say Lupita is the kind of person who would embrace the idea that she’s making a difference in Hollywood, even if only indirectly.

5) It’s not just the fact that she was cast in a movie and won awards that makes a difference for colorism in Hollywood. It’s the casting and awards, plus the mainstream media buzz surrounding this beautiful newcomer that somehow makes it significant.

One blow doesn’t win the battle

Before I close, I must say that colorism in Hollywood still exists despite Lupita’s recent rise to fame. We need to see more women like her (and continued positive responses to women like her) if we’re to actually see a significant reduction of colorism in Hollywood.

However, I think the attention she’s getting suggests that we can make progress.

I also think we should take advantage of all the attention she’s getting in Hollywood to strike a blow to colorism in our everyday lives, in our families, workplaces, schools, and personal relationships.

Let me suggest a few ideas of how we can do that.

♦ Watch her on television and in movies and get others to watch with you.

♦ Buy the magazines that are featuring her and share them with your kids, relatives, coworkers, etc.

♦ Share a picture of her and/or positive comment about her on social media.

♦ Do the same for other under- and misrepresented Hollywood actresses whenever possible.

Remember that you can like ColorismHealing.org on Facebook for more positive images.