Online Reporter
Robson Sharuko
Metros Editor
LUPITA Nyong’o is just one of three black women to be named by People as the most beautiful woman in the world.
The others are Beyonce and Halle Berry.
The Academy Award winning actress, who holds Kenyan, American and Mexican citizenship, was named by People as the most beautiful woman in the world in 2014.
“It was exciting and just a major, major compliment … I was happy for all the girls who would see me on (the cover) and feel a little more seen,” said Lupita.
But, there were moments when Lupita even doubted her beauty.
“I remember a time when I too felt unbeautiful. I put on the TV and only saw pale skin,” she told Essence magazine.
“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.”
It’s a subject that baffles some people who believe that beauty can only be found in the pretty faces of light-skinned women.
It’s the subject Enuma Okoro, the Financial Times’ New York-based arts columnist, explored when it came to Lupita’s beauty.
Okoro wrote that “for black women especially, she is a welcome sight in a public media eye that tends to obscure the beauty of dark-skinned women, an acknowledged issue in Hollywood circles”.
Lupita, who often speaks about embracing her “African kinky hair,” appeared on the cover of Vogue in July 2014.
She was only the ninth black woman, and only the second from Africa, to appear on the magazine’s cover. Lupita’s acting career has exploded after he starring roles in the blockbuster movies ‘12 Years A Slave’ and ‘Black Panther.’
She played the role of Nakia in the ‘Black Panther,’ a movie where Danai Gurira, the Zimbabwean actress, plays the role of Okoye.
Just like Lupita, Zimbabwean international model Noma Mokoni, is based in Los Angeles. And, like Lupita, the Zimbabwean has stunning beautiful features, the kind of which Okoro described as “a welcome sight in a public media eye that tends to obscure the beauty of dark-skinned women, an acknowledged issue in Hollywood circles.”
One can actually say there is some kind of resemblance between Lupita and Noma.
They are both fashion conscious and they are making a big impact in their respective fields. Noma, who is an entrepreneur and prominent advocate, launched her first crack at the Miss Universe Zimbabwe title this month. She did not win the ultimate prize but she made a big impression. While many of the contestants embraced glamorous hairstyles and weaves commonly associated with beauty pageants, Noma arrived with a clean-shaven head, confidently embracing her natural look. Her appearance quickly became a talking point among pageant followers, and social media users, with many praising her authenticity and confidence.
But, she was more than just her appearance. “Working different jobs, becoming a mother, relocating across countries and rebuilding myself in unfamiliar spaces also shaped the woman I am today,” she said.
“Those experiences taught me softness without weakness, confidence without arrogance and grace under pressure.”
She mentors more than 200 aspiring models around the world, helping them build professional portfolios and compete at the highest levels of the industry.
She also caught the attention of Oliver Keith, a UK-based artist, model, comedian and Master of Ceremony, who wrote her an open letter.
“You wear beauty like dawn wears the sky, gently, and with quiet authority. Quiet at first, then impossible to ignore. Gorgeous, yes, but it’s your groundedness that holds the room,” wrote Keith.
“You don’t chase attention. You are attention, because you’re real. No pretence. Just a naturally radiant woman with a gift that can’t be taught, only refined. The crown went to someone else and I know that must ache. But crowns tarnish. What you built won’t.
“You trained for this like an athlete. Toe heel, heel toe, hours of posture, breath, gaze, balance.
“You turned your body into discipline and your nerves into presence. That doesn’t vanish because one judge’s card didn’t have your number. Pageantry is skill, and you proved you own it.
“Not winning Miss Universe Zimbabwe doesn’t shrink you. It expands you. It means the story isn’t ‘queen for a year.’ It’s ‘model for a lifetime.’ It’s screen tests, camera flashes, film sets, and billboards. The crown was never the destination. You are. And the world is about to find that out.” It’s a letter which even attracted Noma’s response. “Your words touched my heart and reminded me that this journey was always about more than a crown,” she replied.
“It was about growth, courage, discipline, and becoming the woman I was meant to be. I may not have won the title, but I gained something that can never be taken away. Thank you for seeing me beyond the outcome and for believing in the future that still lies ahead. Your message is one I’ll hold onto for a very long time.”
The American Dream has been kind to Lupita. She now has a net worth of between US$10 million and US$12 million.
Noma isn’t into Hollywood, which has earned Lupita her millions, but she is doing quite well in her chosen fields. For a girl who grew up between Gwanda and Bulawayo, Noma has done well to build her profile as an international fashion model.
She might not have won the Miss Universe title, on her first attempt, but no one can say she can’t win it if she tries again.
And, she is in the right city. The city where Angels reside as she chases the dreams which transformed the likes of Lupita into millionaires and global superstars.
