(ThyBlackMan.com) To say their names in one sentence, together, is like committing an act of auto-lingual arousal. These two women have helped to cement a redefinition of beauty that boldly steps away from an otherwise bland field of homogenous features that all seem to glorify a very small global ethnic minority. For the millions of otherwise overlooked millions of women who don’t have opaque skin or flowing natural blonde locks, both Lupita Nyong’o and Beyoncé Knowles have become modern day trailblazers for women of color the world over.
In one corner you have the luscious café au lait Beyoncé, a fusion of a uniquely complimentary American blend of ethnicities, dominated by a rich African ancestry. In the other corner you have Lupita, the wondrously rich cocoa mauve Kenyan beauty, with short cropped hair, high cheekbones and a lightning bright smile. Both of these women possess cups that runneth over with their own unique brand of beauty, grace, poise and talent.
Beyoncé has worked very hard to become the undisputed queen of her genre. Not only has she navigated the world of singing, dancing, movies, brand spokesperson and now mother and wife; she is a bonafide international super star. This is no easy feat, and her team is to be applauded.
But, in spite of all of these accolades it can easily be argued that, in the annals of history, she’s not going to be remembered, in particular, for her acting skills. In general her movies are not very well reviewed by anyone outside of her “all things Beyoncé” fan base. In interviews she’s not the most articulate public speaker, and musically it is well known that she doesn’t write most of her own material. Her singing is good, but you can walk into just about any charismatic church on Sunday and hear 3 people sing better than she could ever hope to sing. On top of that, when she can no longer perform, will there be a seminal attribute to her art that other artist will imitate or build upon? In an image fickle profession where talent is often inextricably woven with outward physical appearance, Beyonce’s ascendance to international mega super-stardom is greatly aided by genetics.
On the other hand Lupita looks like the girl who sits in the back of the class and gets all of the answers correct on the biology test. In this setting the people who find her attractive do so as an after-thought, first becoming intrigued by her intelligence, her diligence, her loyalty and then finally her style and her beauty. In other words her attractiveness becomes a function of getting to know her.
Had Lupita been homegrown, namely from the United States and brought up in all of its colorism, her dark skin would’ve not only made her an outsider to most casting agents, but it would’ve also landed her a career squarely behind the camera on most, if not all, black films.
How can this claim be made? Easily. As ¼ of the original group she broke into the business with, Destiny’s Child had their version of Lupita, namely Kelly Rowland, whom many argue is actually a better singer AND dancer. However she always took a backseat to the equally photo-genic Beyoncé. And yes, perhaps it was the fact that the group’s manager was Beyonce’s father, Matthew Knowles, who, by the way, also knew that his daughter wasn’t going to out-sang the competition. He was smart enough to capitalize on her highly sought after, universally acceptable and black folk certified “swirl” look. Oh yeah, she did happen to have a ton of talent as well.
It is a very similar story with Lupita, who possesses both Kenyan and Mexican citizenship. First of all a lot of people never heard of her because she hadn’t appeared in any wide release movies before. Second of all, she was Kenyan and didn’t possess the classic “esprit de corps” mixture of looks that most black folks gravitate towards, which is like having two asterisks next to your name. Third, the movie that she was in, Twelve Years a Slave, was not widely released nor immediately sought out by a lot of black folks who stayed away from watching a movie that would take them to an emotional and psychological place that many didn’t want to go.
However, after her star began to shine internationally, she was wholesale accepted by black folks with open arms and loved like a prodigal daughter. But, let’s face it; her fame was thrust upon us from the outside, not from within. Our hair salons, our beauty magazines, our style makers don’t highlight women who look like her. Perhaps this is the reason why the whispers and sullen attacks from some of our camps still persist in the blogosphere: “I wouldn’t wear my hair like that,” or “she ain’t even that cute.”
African women who look ethnically African have not always been so readily accepted by the black community, and when they have their beauty has not always been easily endorsed. The entire issue of beauty is highly subjective and has a direct dominant culture antecedent. In other words we cannot escape the fact that many of us have subconsciously accepted a white western European standard of beauty.
And this is what helps Beyoncé stay the queen. It can be argued very effectively that Kelly Rowland is a better singer, a better spokesperson and a better dancer than Beyoncé. But, like Lupita, Kelly could never pass the paper bag test, unless the paper bag was made out of dark chocolate (which, by the way, is the healthier form of chocolate).
Beyonce’s success is uniquely American and yes, should be applauded. Making the argument that yes, a great part of her success is due to her looking the way that she does, is not a diss. Rather it’s an acceptance of an undeniable truth. Black folks, yes, we still choose those who represent us, especially women, through the lens of color.
Staff Writer; Steven Robinson
