…”No matter where youre from, your DREAMS ARE ALWAYS VALID.”
Lupita Nyong’o
I think I cried last night when they called her name, what a well deserved historic honor to such a beautiful humble spirit. We have featured Lupita before on the blog and while we knew she was talented and so very classy and smart we still were not prepared for her win. Lupita won the Academy Award for best supporting actress for her portrayal of slave Patsey in the movie 12 Years A Slave.
Now Lupita has been winning all week, she took the same award at the Screen Actors Guild awards, she won at the Broadcast Film Critics Association and she has been celebrated in many cities across the US and in her own country where Kenyans there and everywhere are so very proud.
Although we love Lupita’s gorgeous gowns and she totally owned the red carpet in her blue Prada number yesterday, today we want to concentrate more on what she said as she accepted her award. In her acceptance speech Lupita said this:
It doesn’t escape me for one moment that so much joy in my life is thanks to someone else’s pain.
She thanked the character she played, honoring Patsey’s spirit in a humbling speech that brought many to tears. 12 Years A Slave took it all in the end and we liked that Essence.com posed the question, they asked – What does Lupita’s win mean to you?
I will start – My belief is that her win represents another victory for black artists, professionals, enthusiasts, inventors and most of all little black girls around the world who have ever felt less that worthy but after watching her win, now they know that all their dreams are truly valid.
Within the black community we still have hang-ups on beauty as it is defined by the exterior. Lupita made the point that beauty is defined by compassion, your internal value, kindness, respect and love for each other. When you define it this way, the color of your skin becomes irrelevant and what matters is who we are as a people or as individuals.
You can’t rely on how you look to sustain you. What is fundamentally beautiful is compassion for yourself and for those around you. That kind of beauty enflames the heart and enchants the soul.
I loved her speech but I am not naïve to the struggle that we still have as individuals wanting equality in a world that only validates us when someone who is well respected and of a different shade validates us.
Steve Mcqueen thanked Brad Pitt because without him the movie would not have happened, or maybe it would have but probably not been as successful as it was.
We will leave you with her speech at the Essence Black Women In Hollywood Luncheon:
I wrote down this speech that I had no time to practice so this will be the practicing session. Thank you Alfre, for such an amazing, amazing introduction and celebration of my work. And thank you very much for inviting me to be a part of such an extraordinary community.
I am surrounded by people who have inspired me, women in particular whose presence on screen made me feel a little more seen and heard and understood. That it is ESSENCE that holds this event celebrating our professional gains of the year is significant, a beauty magazine that recognizes the beauty that we not just possess but also produce.
I want to take this opportunity to talk about beauty. Black beauty. Dark beauty. I received a letter from a girl and I’d like to share just a small part of it with you: “Dear Lupita,” it reads, “I think you’re really lucky to be this Black but yet this successful in Hollywood overnight. I was just about to buy Dencia’s Whitenicious cream to lighten my skin when you appeared on the world map and saved me.”
My heart bled a little when I read those words. I could never have guessed that my first job out of school would be so powerful in and of itself and that it would propel me to be such an image of hope in the same way that the women of The Color Purple were to me.
I remember a time when I too felt unbeautiful. I put on the TV and only saw pale skin, I got teased and taunted about my night-shaded skin. And my one prayer to God, the miracle worker, was that I would wake up lighter-skinned.
The morning would come and I would be so excited about seeing my new skin that I would refuse to look down at myself until I was in front of a mirror because I wanted to see my fair face first. And every day I experienced the same disappointment of being just as dark as I had been the day before.
I tried to negotiate with God: I told him I would stop stealing sugar cubes at night if he gave me what I wanted; I would listen to my mother’s every word and never lose my school sweater again if he just made me a little lighter. But I guess God was unimpressed with my bargaining chips because He never listened.
And when I was a teenager my self-hate grew worse, as you can imagine happens with adolescence. My mother reminded me often that she thought that I was beautiful but that was no consolation: She’s my mother, of course she’s supposed to think I am beautiful.
And then Alek Wek came on the international scene. A celebrated model, she was dark as night, she was on all of the runways and in every magazine and everyone was talking about how beautiful she was. Even Oprah called her beautiful and that made it a fact.
I couldn’t believe that people were embracing a woman who looked so much like me as beautiful. My complexion had always been an obstacle to overcome and all of a sudden, Oprah was telling me it wasn’t. It was perplexing and I wanted to reject it because I had begun to enjoy the seduction of inadequacy.
But a flower couldn’t help but bloom inside of me. When I saw Alek I inadvertently saw a reflection of myself that I could not deny. Now, I had a spring in my step because I felt more seen, more appreciated by the far away gatekeepers of beauty, but around me the preference for light skin prevailed.
To the beholders that I thought mattered, I was still unbeautiful. And my mother again would say to me, “You can’t eat beauty. It doesn’t feed you.” And these words plagued and bothered me; I didn’t really understand them until finally I realized that beauty was not a thing that I could acquire or consume, it was something that I just had to be.
And what my mother meant when she said you can’t eat beauty was that you can’t rely on how you look to sustain you. What is fundamentally beautiful is compassion for yourself and for those around you. That kind of beauty enflames the heart and enchants the soul. It is what got Patsey in so much trouble with her master, but it is also what has kept her story alive to this day. We remember the beauty of her spirit even after the beauty of her body has faded away.
And so I hope that my presence on your screens and in the magazines may lead you, young girl, on a similar journey. That you will feel the validation of your external beauty but also get to the deeper business of being beautiful inside. There is no shade to that beauty.
What a beautiful and heartfelt speech! Lupita is a ray of light in all of this hoopla, her intelligence is impeccable and her message is beyond awesome, she uses her stage well and I am proud of that. Congratulations again Lupita!
Amanda Thomas says
She’s gorgeous
Letitia Humphrey-Hill says
Beautiful!
Celine Sharelies says
Zeker verdiend haar rol in de film was zo sad!! Sherr Jmf 12 years a slave
Jennifer Lewis says
Love the dress, beautiful woman!!!!
Amy Toure says
“Gagnante”!!!
Deidre Brooks Toussaint says
I’m so happy that she won that was the main reason I watch last night with hope that she will win she’s gorgeous, and she wears her root with such pride and acceptance I luv her and praying for more accomplishments in her future….
Regina Taylor says
Queen
Loretta Summers says
Such a beautiful sistah
Judith Mariah says
Beautiful African queen!
Sharon Jackson says
Beautiful sister !!!
The African Women With Natural Hair - Ghana And Nigeria says
Cute
Peachez Cooper says
congratulations
Ashley Campfield says
Beautiful Woman. She had a wonderful speech as well!! HerBlackIsBeautiful!!
Lillian Williams-Martin says
Stunning. …
Rusty Todd says
Congrats you go girl,
Merri E. Griffin says
I love this African Princess! When I see her, I see strength, beauty & grace. Bravo Lupita! You go girl!!
Valerie Ohiri Yao says
Beautiful smile! That’s my African sister #ProudToBlack&Beautiful (:
Sandra Morris says
She let tears come to my eyes last night!
Valerie Loatman says
Congratulations.
Lisa Brandon says
She’s pretty and has every right to be proud and made a great speech but I’m going to be real on this one the dress looks a mess it doesn’t compliment her complexion and all that cleavege with a ripped flat chest is not a good look seems like a nice person but no to the dress
Sandra Gibson says
Beautiful girl ugly dress.
Dianne Hickman says
She beautiful black women ,
Cindy Chase-Young says
U never get the look or words wrong, thank u for representing black and fabulous.
Denize Hildebrando says
Linda earned this movie made me cry.
Omada 'Abahi' Okpe says
Must you say something negative? Who made you a style expert? Just congratulate and move on.
Lisa Brandon says
Lol
Kenisha Sharpe says
#Blackgirlsrock
Laddia Jean-Baptiste says
Im so proud of her.
Rhea Kelly-Evans says
Regarding Lisa’s critique… Are we so use to seeing these actresses and singers (Mariah) with implants that when we actually see a woman void of plastic surgery it looks unappealing?
As for her skin tone and dress comment, I differ in that I think blue is stunning on brown and dark skin. We all have our opinions
Meka Robinson says
Love the dress
Luis Luana Becker says
Diva congratulations ….
BlackHairInformation.com says
It’s funny because as far as trends go she got best dressed… I do wish we could just stay positive on this one
Anita Carter says
She is so beautiful and graceful
Lisa Brandon says
OK that’s true
Yvonne Yarn says
Beautiful and stunning!!! Fabulous job in “12 Years A Slave!!!”
Halil Uzunel says
nice
Сандра Ді says
I love the dress on her! To wear such a deep neckline you have to have a flat chest!
Sabrina Bishop says
Awsome
Sherrie Holder-Contreras says
Black is so beautiful
Patricia Blakney says
Pretty
Jessie Marie Reed says
As a Fashion Major this does complements her skin tone its flawless. this is a Prada custom gown and Muiccia Prada is known for great custom wear. Women who is her skin complexion is on the runway more than the women of color who is lighter than her because putting garments on a dark skinned woman will make the garment show more and make her look flawless so thats why she is best dressed.
Kahon Jehan says
Love her , much respect she represents us well,
Temika Jatta says
Congratulation beautiful woman
Abbi says
This touched me to the core. Very powerful message.
Abbi of BelowtheWaist
Shawnee Wiley says
flawless beauty!!!!!
Junebug Lee says
Yeah for black people everywhere! 🙂
Lisa Brandon says
the dress stands out that for damn sure… don’t think I’m insulting her complexion she’s beautiful but no to sky blue, if that’s the case she might as well dye her hair blond
Lisa Brandon says
Let me end this… she’s beautiful successful and doin the damn thing its really not that serious…
Renee Lyndale says
You! Go Girl…Yayyy…Black Power…
Rose Isaac says
She is absolutely GORGEOUS !!! Congrats….Black women are beautiful
Cre8ive says
What a great speech!!! Thank you for printing it and for your work on this website. Amazing!
Nadine Williams says
Epiphany of beauty and grace.
Keysha Jones says
Like this
Fatima Lagundoye Adetula says
The African queen of the year, we are proud of you
Lidiane Xavier says
Wonderfully pretty!
Lawana Harvey says
<3
Xhay Bear says
some people shouldnt say anything…seriously
Lisa Brandon says
Wow some ppl can’t take the truth
Myrtle Worlds says
Beautiful
Antasia Moi says
It is such an ugly frock!! Why didn’t they just hire Nicola for the part?
mia says
Steve McQueen thanked Brad Pitt because he was one of the producers of the movie aka he funded it probably to a greater extent than the others
Jordann Allen says
Talk hate all you want she still helped design a custom prada dress like this is flawless.
Alexis VincentmartinWife Flowers says
She is beautiful,beautiful,beautiful ♥ ♥ ♥ her
Mireya Puertas Orozco says
CONGRATULATIONS LUPITA. GOD BLESS YOU!