Lupita Nyong’o covers Dazed & Confused: gorgeous, avant-garde or awful?

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Lupita Nyong’o covers the new issue of Dazed & Confused magazine. Honestly, I don’t really “get” Dazed & Confused, like… I don’t know if they’re supposed to be fashion, entertainment, arts, politics or whatever. I don’t think I’ve ever flipped through a copy – I just see the covers & shoots online, and they’re almost always bizarre. I guess the sheer fact that Lupita is so beautiful and she carries herself with such a regal air, that’s what saves this shoot. Because the stylists were definitely trying too hard for avant-garde.

Anyway, Lupita is pretty much guaranteed an Oscar nomination when they are announced this Thursday. Even though I was disappointed that Lupita didn’t get a Golden Globe, I like that she was still one of the most talked-about women on the carpet, and the HFPA’s near-total snub of 12 Years a Slave might work in their favor in the long run – now Oscar voters are looking around and deciding, “Yeah, Jennifer Lawrence doesn’t really deserve it again, Lupita is fabulous.” Speaking of… Lupita gave another great interview to The Telegraph. You can read the full piece here and here are some highlights:

Her family, childhood: Lupita lived ‘a very middle-class life’ in the quiet suburbs and gated communities of Nairobi. ‘I loved make-believe,’ she says. ‘I was the child in the cupboard playing with my Barbies.’ When she was eight or nine she watched The Color Purple, the film adaptation of Alice Walker’s novel. ‘It was first time I’d seen someone like me on screen,’ Nyong’o says. ‘Whoopi Goldberg had my kind of hair and was dark like me. I thought, maybe I could do this for a living.’

She’s also a writer/director/producer: ‘I love filmmaking,’ she says, ‘but I decided to go to drama school because I thought that when I’m 60 and looking back on my life, if acting hadn’t been a part of it, I would hate myself.’

Getting hired for 12 YAS while she at Yale Drama: ‘I was very intimidated. Every day I thought the phone was going to ring and it was going to be Steve saying, “I’m sorry, I made a mistake.”’ And then she would remember the reaction of her father – solid, successful, suspicious of acting’s vagaries. ‘My parents had been very worried about what I was going to do.’ When she called him with the news that she was going to be in a film with Brad Pitt, his only comment was, ‘Oh, so you have a job!’ ‘That put things into perspective,’ she says. ‘It was a job, and the intimidation of doing it with all these people had to be put aside.’

Research: She visited the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum in Baltimore. ‘The first thing I saw when I walked in the door was a 500lb bale of cotton,’ she says, ‘and it was taller than me, thicker than me, wider than me, and I was just met with the loftiness of Patsey.’ One of the most shocking things she learnt was that it was common to make accessories out of the skin of slaves that died. There were wallets and bags, and they were prized possessions. ‘It doesn’t get more horrific than that,’ she says. ‘I was stunned that I hadn’t even heard the name Solomon Northup,’ she continues. ‘In school we learnt about slavery but we spent more time learning about the Holocaust.’

Corn dolls: It was her idea to have Patsey making corn dolls during what little free time she had. ‘I felt she was robbed of her childhood and I wanted to find ways of capturing that sensibility. Steve loved the idea and I learnt how to make the dolls, and made one almost every day. It was a therapeutic thing for Patsey, a way to stay in the zone, a part of her that couldn’t be enslaved.’

She couldn’t stay with Patsey: ‘Patsey kept me awake at night from the day Steve called me, to the day I left the set and then for some days after that.’ Not that she stayed in character between takes. ‘To do that would be to go crazy. Michael [Fassbender] and I had this ritual of “making nice” before and after scenes. We wouldn’t say anything to each other, just a look in the eye and a grasping of hands. Our characters are in such opposition but we as actors needed each other in order to be able to go the distance.’

[From The Telegraph]

Lupita also talks about preparing for the awful scene near the end of the film where Patsey is whipped. That scene is so awful, so damaging, I don’t think many people can or should watch the whole thing without averting their eyes. It was so bad, I had to ask CB (when we were watching the film together) if Epps had just killed Patsey. Just being reminded of it… makes me remember how much I want Lupita to win the Oscar.

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Photos courtesy of Dazed & Confused.

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75 Responses to “Lupita Nyong’o covers Dazed & Confused: gorgeous, avant-garde or awful?”

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  1. Lark says:

    I kind of like it….She is truly stunning. I seriously can’t believe she lost the GG.

  2. Tapioca says:

    She looks great, if almost unrecognisable, except for those shoes!

  3. I am proud of my fellow Kenyan. Hope she gets that Oscar nomination!!

  4. Lindy79 says:

    The whipping scene is made all the more horrific by her speech before it and the circumstances leading up to it.

    I don’t get invested in awards and who wins, but her loss at the GG really ticked me off. Her acting was incredible and she deserved it. That’s not a slight on Jennifer Lawrence or any of the other nominations.

    • Lucinda says:

      I haven’t seen her movie or Lawrence’s movie so I can’t speak to the performance at all. I do know however, that I have observed many times, someone doesn’t get the award the year they deserve it. They get it later. Almost as a make-up kind of thing. No one knew Lawrence when she was nominated in Winter’s Bone and it was a stunning performance. She didn’t get the award. I’m guessing no one knows Nyong’o either so I’m not surprised she didn’t get the GG. There is a good chance she won’t get the Oscar too. But I could see her subsequently being nominated for a lesser piece of work later on and winning. I think name recognition is a huge part of winning and she doesn’t have that yet.

      • Lindy79 says:

        There have been a small few exceptions but I think overall yes you’re right.

      • gaggles says:

        When you’re a white man or woman, this might be true. But when you’re a person of color I’m doubtful.

      • Renee says:

        What about when Jennifer Hudson got it for Dreamgirls??? She was good but better than all of her competition that year? And people only knew her from American Idol.

        I think that Lupita didn’t get it because of the subject matter…people don’t want to be reminded of slavery.

      • sarah says:

        I agree with gaggles. I think it will be much, much harder (but not impossible!) for her to get another role with the same meatiness as this one.

        I do think she has a better chance at the Oscars. I feel like the foreign press sees slavery as a bummer that’s not really their problem. I know a lot of international people who say crazy things about slavery (“it wasn’t that bad” “they were like friends” “there were white slaves, too” etc) so I think there might have been an emotional disconnect in some cases.

    • Megan says:

      I so agree!!! This girl deserves every freaking award there is. Jennifer Lawrence is the most overrated actress, she is basically a young Julia Roberts- can play one character and frankly never has touched me with a performance.

      However, Lupita was fantastic, it was insanely difficult to watch. Oh and I found that accessories story the most disturbing thing ever. I agree though we don’t focus enough on our dark history.

      Side and shallow note- without a doubt Lupita is the most beautiful and striking woman in hollywood. My lord she is gorgeous.

    • Franklymydear1 says:

      Don’t worry! the globes are really focused on kissing up to big stars and aren’t always a precursor to the oscar (in fact the membership has little crossover). remember this is the same body that nominated the tourist and Burlesque.

  5. blue marie says:

    I like them all but the bottom and that’s only because it looks like the dress has shoulder pads, gross.

    • Liv says:

      Don’t like it, she looks like a robot.

      That said I just can’t get over her beauty. She has so much charisma, she’s stunning!

  6. GoodNamesAllTaken says:

    I just love her. She’s beautiful and intelligent.

    Don’t kill me but I think the shoot is horrible. The cover is carried by her beauty but the rest is almost an insult to it. I guess I’m not that avant-guarde.

    • Denise says:

      The shoot is par for the course for Dazed. It’s all within the context of the magazine, so it’s not going to appeal universally like mainstream mags. Nothing could make her not beautiful, though.

  7. Mew says:

    She has the most amazing skin and she really wears colors fabulously. The shoot itself is a bit ridiculous but she’s pulling it off quite well – I can’t think of anyone else being even half as good with those costumes.

    • V4Real says:

      She’s giving me a Grace Jones vibe in that red dress except Grace would probably fashion it with thigh high boots.

      I’m not sure what look they were aiming for but they missed the mark. I almost feel as if they tried to make her look a bit ridiculous; like one of those Tyra Banks ANTM shoots.

    • Lucinda says:

      Yes, her skin tone can really carry those vibrant colors. She is stunning even if the shoot itself is a bit odd. I don’t think anyone else could pull off that shoot as well as she does. I keep looking at it because it’s so interesting.

    • Normally, I would say those colors are garish and clash. But there is something about her beauty that is making it work for me, especially the cover.

    • Monksolo says:

      I wish I saw more women with her skin color on TV.

  8. LAK says:

    Dazed and Confused is cutting egde avant garde. They’d die from the horror of being described as fashion.

    That said, I hate this type of editorial for black girls that don’t fit the stereotypical image of beauty as laid out by fashion.

    Many magazines did this to Alek Wek and to Lorraine Pascal for years until their beauty was finally understood and they were allowed to just be themselves.

    That said, I love Lupita’s lipstick here. It’s a shade that compliments her as opposed to the garish colours she chooses for the red carpet.

    • Observer says:

      I disagree about the lip color.
      I hate when they always put dark lipstick on black women, I think it’s awful. It’s either dark brown or purple. Oh the purple. Hate it when they put purple blush on black women when really they (we) look better in a pink blush.
      I love when she wears pink or red lipstick. It just brightens up her whole face. She really can carry off color and really should wear pretty pinks and soft colors as well as the reds.

      • LAK says:

        Let’s agree to disagree because i am the opposite.

        I feel a person looks so much better if the lipstick is more natural. I’m not advocating nudes, simply colours that don’t clash with skin tone which i feel Lupita has been doing on the red carpet.

        I wouldn’t advocate for purple or brown on Lupita. The lipstick she has on is more natural.

        The standard for me is Iman/Noami Campbell. They tends to wear colours that don’t clash with their skin tone.

        Occasionally they do wear dark/purple colours and it always looks wrong.

  9. Kiddo says:

    This is an inspiring pictorial. I love the photographs, the use of color, the lighting, the make-up, the styling, and that she was able to transform herself into a radically different persona than how she is typically seen.

  10. Frida_K says:

    She’s truly beautiful. This cover is interesting and I like the eye make-up.

    Going to a slavery museum must have really been a punch in the gut for her, my God (and here I send loving thoughts out into the universe to the souls of the departed).

  11. Leah says:

    She is stunning and seems intelligent. I hope she gets a lot more work!

  12. smee says:

    A lot of times edgy styling doesn’t end well, but I love these photographs. She’s so striking!

  13. Sixer says:

    WHY would you photoshop that skin?

    I really, really, really, really dislike this shoot. So much so that I’m actually commenting on a women’s fashion/beauty post!

  14. epiphany says:

    A bit off-topic, but the talk on a number of other sites is that Fassbender has been crushing on Lupita since they filmed TYAS, but she kept him at arm’s length (which apparently with Fass would be necessary) and finally, this weekend during all the awards ceremonies, she agreed to go out with him.

    • Rumours says:

      There are a lot of rumours about Fassbender lové Life… On other websites, you can read he spends new year in Romania with Butler ex, Madalina Ghenea. She posts à photo on Facebook and Instagram of à man kissing her with à ginger beard and some says it ´s him… And for Lupita, no photos and no reports for this weekend… But i have seen différent photos with Jared Leto so…

    • Virgilia Coriolanus says:

      Meh, I won’t believe it until I see pictures of his tongue down her throat in the middle of LA. They try and hook him up with every black woman he’s worked with (which, is actually a lot compared to some of his peers). On one level, I get it–because he’s made it clear that he prefers women with darker skin, but it’s sort of become a fetish to me—the ‘fans’ have made it, not him. Now every time he’s near a semi decent looking black woman, everyone’s going on and on like he’s wrecking her sweet shop…..which fetish-izes his relationships and preferences, I think. She’s just another hot blonde with boobs, in my mind.

      • Rumours says:

        He was linked to Charlize Theron during Prometheus… Never see that…

      • Virgilia Coriolanus says:

        He was linked to Charlize because she kept throwing herself all over him–it was really embarrassing. I know she made a joke about his d-ck/offering to give it a test drive or something, at an awards ceremony. When they did the Oscar Roundtable, she was leaning into him, when he did his impressions she kept repeating ‘amazing’…..it was super obvious. Just as it was super obvious that he didn’t want her near him.

    • Rumours says:

      I don ´t exact lu know for Charlize… And I don n’y know why but I have the feeling that Lupita and Fassbender don ´t have that chemistry. But I have seen photos of Lupita and Jared Leto et they look cute…

      • Rumours says:

        Sory I am from Belgium and french speaking and my dictionnary transforms my word and I have some mistakes but a good excuse ;-))

  15. lucy2 says:

    I never hear about or see any of these magazines.
    That’s an interesting photo shoot – I’m not sure I like it overall, but she’s so striking, especially on the cover. Glad to see her getting some well deserved attention.

  16. AlmondJoy says:

    The exhibit and figures at that museum are so real and lifelike. When I visited the Blacks in Wax museum I literally became sick to my stomach.. could NOT stop crying. It haunted me for weeks. My friend, who is even more emotional than I am, literally broke down. She had a panic attack and it took us hours to calm her down. I can only imagine what Lupita went through playing such a role.

    As for the photo shoot, it is not my favorite. She is such a beautiful woman though, she’s exquisite regardless of makeup and styling. I’m so inspired by her spirit.

  17. bns says:

    Stunning.

    I wish more mainstream magazines (Elle, US Vogue) would be this interesting.

  18. Murphy says:

    I liked it until i saw that sweat sock

  19. CarnivalBaby says:

    I like this. I think she looks great and the photographs are interesting and the fashion looks good. But I am no expert. The last photo with the red dress isnt working for me, but otherwise, she looks fantastic.

  20. Renee says:

    I think that they made her look like a freak, this is typical of how darker-skinned black models with short hair are treated by the fashion industry.

    The interview with The Telegraph, however, is quite informative. So there’s that.

  21. QQ says:

    Fking Love love love! My tumblr timeline is like going crazy over these pics, she is just so versatile and beautiful

  22. Lucrezia says:

    Is it just me, or does she look about 12 years old in the cover shot? Something about the innocent expression, photo-shopped skin and the knee-high gym socks.

    And the second shot is giving me sulky 14 year old vibes: “Mom! Do I really have to wear this t-shirt under my gold bustier? Everyone else is flashing their stomachs! You’re soooo embarrassing!”

    All I can say about the 3rd pic is that at least she looks like an adult. An adult wearing a shiny red garbage bag and orthopaedic shoes, but at least she looks like a woman rather than a girl.

    (Edit, because I suddenly realised it might not be clear: Lupita is stunningly beautiful, and her personal taste in fashion is exquisite … I’m slagging off the magazine, not Lupita herself.)

  23. Fan says:

    Wow she must be a very beautiful woman to be able to pull this off. Love it.

  24. MorticiansDoItDeader says:

    I have yet to see 12 years, but Django Unchained still haunts me, so I’m afraid to go there.

    • V4Real says:

      And just think Django had its light moments and it still haunts you. You might want to wait for the DVD release on this one so you can gasp in private. Lupita and Chiwetel were awesome; I would hate for you to have to miss such fantastic performances by the two of them because of the theme of the film. You will see why people are upset that JLaw won over Lupita or Matt over Chiwetel.

    • Virgilia Coriolanus says:

      I loved both films, thought they were both excellent. I’ve always loved Tarantino’s ability to take a difficult subject matter (like slavery), and turn it into something ‘fun’, but it still makes you think about the characters, the conditions, and so on.

      The most horrifying scene for me, that I still can’t watch all the way was the Mandingo fighting scene….

  25. Seagulls says:

    This woman is so frigging gorgeous she almost overcomes the stupidity of the styling.

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      Thank you. I was thinking I just didn’t get it since everyone else seems to love it. I love her, but this shoot is like the Emperor’s new clothes to me.

  26. Alana says:

    I feel like with her, you don’t have to try so hard in a photo shoot. The 3rd photo is the most effortless and to me is the best. It’s kind of like how not all photographers know how to take good photos of Benedict Cumberbatch.

  27. GIRLFACE says:

    Wow she’s beautiful and well spoken! I think this shoot is cool all together but individual elements could be changed but she looks great!

  28. kibbles says:

    Don’t want to rain on everyone’s parade, but I was curious as to how she was able to go to Yale Drama School and break into Hollywood. I suspected she was from a rich (at least rich by African standards) family who was able to support her dreams to come to America and pursue acting. I don’t really buy that she grew up middle class as she stated in the interview. That is the same as the Middleton family pushing that they were “middle class” before Kate and William’s wedding to fool everyone into believing she was like the rest of us.

    There isn’t a lot on Lupita’s family, but I found this on Wikipedia:
    Nyong’o was born in Mexico City, where her father was a visiting professor. Her parents are Dorothy and Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o, a politician. Peter was the former Kenyan Minister for Medical Services and was elected in 2013 to represent Kisumu County in the Kenyan Senate. Her cousin Isis Nyong’o was named one of Africa’s most powerful women by Forbes magazine in 2012.

    Yeah, she was at least upper middle class if not rich. Her cousin was named one of Africa’s most powerful women by Forbes? You don’t get there by being a poor or working class African. Your family needs to have money and connections.

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      She said she was middle class, not working class. There’s a difference, in my opinion. Working class is blue collar and middle class is more professional, from comfortable to wealthy, but not billionaire. I don’t think she was dishonest. Who says “I’m upper middle class?” That would be tacky.

      • kibbles says:

        The Middleton family also called themselves “middle class” even though they were millionaires who were able to send their children to the best schools money can buy. It is very misleading and is used for PR purposes so that celebrities can connect with the masses. And yes, people do use the term “upper middle class” or “well off”. Middle class does not mean wealthy. Anyone who is a millionaire is not “middle class”. For politicians – especially politicians in Africa where the system is so corrupt – they tend to be upper middle class, influential, and wield much more power than the average person. I wouldn’t call anyone who makes it onto a Forbes “most influential” list as middle class. Everyone on that list has money and lots of it.

      • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

        Well, we will just have to agree to disagree. I know many people who have a net worth of over a million dollars but would consider themselves middle class. They would definitely fall into your category of upper middle class, I suppose, but they would never refer to themselves that way.

        And my cousin was the governor of a large state. That doesn’t make me influential.

      • Virgilia Coriolanus says:

        @kibbles
        The way it was explained about the Middletons (at least what I read) was that ‘middle class’ means new money, essentially. They aren’t an old royal family, or an old titled family–which would be upper class in England. There are different term uses in different countries.

      • LAK says:

        Kibbles: The fact that her father was a Minister is all you need to know about how well off they were…….

        GoodNamesAllTaken: The point you make is a very good one, but African politicians are not upstanding citizens. The corruption of Moi’s government and cronies is well documented. For me, knowing that her father made it as far as being appointed a minister is all i need to know about their wealth.

        However, both of you are looking at this wrong. The monetary value isn’t the issue. You don’t need to earn the sums you would require in the west to afford a superwealthy lifestyle in Africa. The currency exchange is such that one can live the life of a millionaire on not very much in western salaries. I’m talking huge mansion, servants, sending kids to private school etc.

        Further, many jobs come with serious perks. I remember growing up in Africa. We all aspired to work for the UN despite the salary being quite low. However, you were paid in dollars or sterling which translated to a tonne of cash in the local currency and the job came with a mcmansion with all bills paid, car and drivers and membership to all the exclusive clubs, medical in the best clinics all paid for.

        Having a cousin on the Forbes list……now THAT is wealth in a way we all understand.

      • Lou says:

        Kate Middleton’s parents WERE middle class. Class isn’t solely about money in England, it’s about aristocracy. Not all upper class people have cash, many middle class people are rich.

    • LL2 says:

      @Kibbles
      Your comment says more about your stereotypes of Africans and African people than about Lupita. She never said anything about being poor or working class so why project that onto her? As for “being rich by African standards” What does that mean? If you have a million dollars, you have a million dollars whether you are in the U. S. or Kenya. I have 2 two cousins who are going to Yale and they would consider themselves middle class as well. Everyone does not use the term upper middle class. Stop nitpicking and projecting. Furthermore, not everyone in Africa poor and just because they are well-off does not mean they are corrupt. There are a lot of educated professionals in Africa. Next time, base your comments on facts, not stereotypes.

    • ya says:

      Ya I lived in Nairobi for quite a while until recently…. her family is quite heavily involved with ODM (Raila Odinga’s party).

    • LL2 says:

      @LAK

      Of course the standard of living is lower in Africa and other parts of the developing world compared to the West but you act as if they don’t have rich people in Africa. Africa has a lot of millionaires who would be considered rich no matter where they lived. You don’t have take my word for it, check out Forbes’ Annual list of Richest Africans.
      Second, don’t generalize your experience of living under Moi as being the general experience for everybody living in Africa. Africa is a hugh continent and life in one country for one period of time does not define an entire continent. It’s like speaking for life in Asia because you lived in Iran. Life in Iran is totally different from life Japan or South Korea. Your experience does not speak for someone living in Ghana, Botswana, Namibia, Gabon, etc. This kind of talk only perpuates stereotypes of Africa in minds of people who barely know anything about Africa in the first place.

      @Ya

      Lupita has never denied that her father was involved in politics. That doesn’t mean her father is guilty of corruption like Lak and Kibbles are implying. Best not to make accusations about someone’s family without any facts and based solely on subjective opinion and stereotypes. As far as I know her dad has not being accused of any corruption.

      • kibbles says:

        No one is reinforcing stereotypes here. Politics everywhere for the most part is a corrupt game. It is common knowledge that countries like Kenya have some of the highest government corruption in the world. Educate yourself and talk to a Kenyan or read any UN report on government corruption. I have visited Kenya and know someone who works within the Kenyan government as a civil servant. He wants to leave because it is so inefficient and corrupt. Take a look at the majority of people in these African countries living in poverty and making pennies each day then look at their leaders who have millions of dollars in the bank and flying in Western celebrities to perform at their birthday parties. Stating fact about corruption in the government in Kenya as well as most other African countries isn’t being racist. Most Africans who know better will tell you the same. And everyone knows that $20,000 will get you much farther in Africa than in the United States. Normal Africans usually don’t have the opportunities to study abroad. That is a sad fact of life. Take a look at the majority of Africans living in poverty. If you cared about Africa and Africans at all you wouldn’t be defending their corrupt leaders.

      • ya says:

        I don’t quite understand your comment on generalizing – I completely agree that we cannot generalize across Africa, but Lupita is Kenyan, and LAK was talking about Kenya specifically. Though Raila Odinga was detained and tortured under Moi’s government and I don’t think we can extrapolate from the conduct of Moi to comment generally on the behaviour of ODM.

        As far as living in Kenya, the vast majority of Kenyans are still very poor, and if a person there is living anything close to a middle class lifestyle by north american standards, that means that that person is part of an elite minority and can move in certain circles. It is certainly possible to exploit connections within those circles. I’m not saying that that equals corruption. It is also, sadly, extremely difficult for the vast majority of Kenyans to live, or even travel, abroad.

        I love Lupita though and I think she’s a great actress.

      • LL2 says:

        @Kibbles

        First of all, you referenced the entire African continent in your comment, you did not say Kenyan politicians. Africa is a diverse continent, just because you visited Kenya does not make you an expert on Africa or its people. “Normal Africans” don’t study abroad? Are you serious? I know lots of African who study abroad. I guess I should tell them that according to you a, non-African, that they are not “Normal Africans”. You don’t realize how narrow-minded that sounds?

        Second of all, you clearly do not understand the meaning of the word “stereotype”. Just because Lupita’s dad is a Kenyan does not mean you get to imply that he might be corrupt without any actual evidence or proof. That is “stereotyping” when you make assumptions about a person based purely on their race, ethnicity, etc without actual “facts”. I don’t have the time or patience to address your entire comment. You apparently read about celebrities going to Angola and Libya and now according to you, self appointed African expert without facts, this is what all African leaders do even though you probably don’t even know the name of at least ten African leaders. And what does poverty in Africa have to do with Lupita? Once again, you are “stereotyping”. She’s from Africa so you expect her to be poor? Because according to you, there aren’t rich people in Africa? Well, Forbes Magazine would disagree with you since they come up with an annual list of rich Africans.

      • LL2 says:

        @Ya

        Lak did not say Kenya specifically, she said “African politicians”, not “Kenyan politicians”. She implied that she was speaking as an authority on the entire continent. Furthermore, this article was about Lupita, what does corruption have to do with her family? To imply that because her dad is a politician in Kenya, he may be corrupt without any actual facts, evidence, or proof is wrong, a form of stereotyping, a gross generalization and perhaps even slander.

        I’m not denying poverty in Africa or in Kenya. My comment was more about Kibbles’ ignorance about people in Africa, she did not say Kenya specifically, and the assumption she made that everyone who isn’t poor in Africa must be a corrupt politician. That’s just ignorant to imply such a statement. You don’t even have be an African expert to know how false that is. I referenced that Forbes list which shows African billionaires who are not politicians. Look at Chiwetel Ejiofor, his parents are from Africa and were certainly not poor nor were they corrupt politicians. His was a doctor and his mom a pharmacist. I just have very little tolerance for people who make assumptions and gross generalizations based on racial or ethnic stereotypes. What’s wrong with using “facts”? Facts are our friends.

    • xoxokaligrl says:

      What is rich by African standards?

  29. lady mary. says:

    i love her !!!!!!!!!!! that cover is so kool,we have a ton of this new genre of young ,pouty mouth ,fake fashionistas ,who can turn the most exquisite dress into a potato sac ,and then there is Lupita ,who can make a potato sack look like high fashion ,i say give this women an opportunity to represent chanel,dior,i would buy whatever she is selling ,and for godsake give her that goddamn oscar !!!!!

  30. adrien says:

    Beautiful photographs. Lupita is a goddess. I don’t even care about the fashion aspect of this shoot. She’s gorgeous.

  31. xoxokaligrl says:

    I really love these pictures! She is so gorgeous 🙂
    I especially love her style, I wish more actresses would take note! A fresh look is so much more desirable than something manufactured.

  32. Nina K. says:

    Ugh. STOP. I know I’m going to get absolutely flamed on this thread for saying so, but I’m so damn tired of these young people (with talent, ironically) mentioning Pitt. You were excited because you were going to be in a movie with Pitt? Pitt, the idiot actor who can’t hold his own unless a great actor supports him? Pitt, who can’t string sentences together without Jolie writing it for him? He is utterly worthless as an actor. He picks the right projects to support and finance, obviously (I still wonder if it’s him picking or if he has people in the background at his company that make suggestions for him. He’s THAT stupid), but he literally has just a few lines in this film. That’s it. And there’s a damn good reason for that. Wasn’t she more excited to work with McQueen? To work alongside FASSBENDER?!?!? What about Chiwetel?!?! After working with him, wouldn’t it be worth mentioning?!?! Dude. As much as I’m going to sound like a conspiracy theorist, I’m starting to wonder whether people are told by their managers/handlers/publicists to mention Pitt or Jolie when interviewing if they possibly can. Most of these people are up-and coming young talent with bright futures, and I wonder if their people know that mentioning one of two of the biggest celebrities in the world will help them make headlines. Because, for the life of me, I don’t know why you’d mention them otherwise. Both of them have proven they know how to make more flops than hits, and fame seems to be the only thing going for them at this point. Jolie has a very strong background in humanitarian work, but when she’s mentioned by other actors, they seem to generally give her accolades for acting. Which, of course, is a joke. Color me really confused. I know that most of you on this site would literally kill to lick Jolie’s boots, but I…just don’t get it. There are far more interesting people to watch.