It has happened again.
Another magazine has allegedly Photoshopped a Black woman’s hair off its cover. The latest victim, none other than gorgeous actress and Lancome ambassador Lupita N’yongo.
The Oscar winner graces the latest cover of the UK-based magazine Grazia. In a lengthy post on Instagram, Lupita vented about her frustration with media outlets who try to erase the beauty of her natural heritage.
“As I have made clear so often in the past with every fiber of my being, I embrace my natural heritage and despite having grown up thinking light skin and straight, silky hair were the standards of beauty, I now know that my dark skin and kinky, coily hair are beautiful too,” she shared.
The side-by-side of the original shot and the cover make it crystal clear why Lupita was so disappointed — her hair was completely Photoshopped to be smooth, leaving out her kinky coily ponytail.
While the magazine has since issued an apology saying they, “are committed to representing diversity throughout its pages and apologizes unreservedly to Lupita Nyong’o,” this feel a bit too little too late. How can a magazine be committed to showcasing diversity when they blatantly changed the texture and style of the cover star’s hair?
Vernon François, the man behind Lupita’s ‘dos, was too upset by the hair debacle. “It’s time to celebrate the beauty of textured hair in all its glory,” he said on Instagram. The hairdresser who has made it his mission to showcase the beauty of our hair, wants honest depictions of our hair’s textures in the media.
And we couldn’t agree more. If we continue to only deem one kind of woman beautiful, how will we ever expand the definition of beauty?