Hurrah for the ad that dared to be different

ANOTHER nail in the coffin for the tyranny of the thin white blonde as the preferred model of female beauty.

Lancome have just launched Lupita Nyong’o (pictured) as the new face of their Teint Idole foundation range — and very fabulous she looks, too.

Nyong’o, you may remember, won Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars for her role in 12 Years A Slave. She turned up at the awards looking stunning — and surprisingly normal.

In Hollywood terms, that meant her face moved when she smiled, and she didn’t completely disappear when she turned sideways.

Most importantly, though, she looked like a black woman. A strong, beautiful black woman. Not a Westernised version of a black woman, with pale skin or slimmed-down features, but very much an honest representation of someone from her ethnic background (Kenya via Mexico, if I remember rightly).

This is encouraging stuff. Dark-skinned women all over the world, from Africa to Asia, are still regularly made to feel that the lighter they are, the more beautiful and desirable they will become.

In Nairobi, women pay for bogus skinwhitening injections; in India, you can buy a vaginal skin-whitening cream, to ‘improve love life’.

All these prejudices have deep and complex roots and the problem often stems from deep within the culture. But globalisation and the homogenisation of an ideal of beauty haven’t helped either. Which is why it’s significant that Lancome have chosen Nyong’o as a poster girl. They are a big, successful global brand. They are naturally conservative in their corporate strategies.

Obviously they want her because she’s a successful actress; but 20 years ago, an Oscar wouldn’t have been enough. This is proof that the tide is finally turning.

There’s still some way to go, of course. In January, Vanity Fair was accused of lightening their shots of Nyong’o, and it’s true: her ebony skin did look suspiciously pale. But let us not make the best the enemy of the good: this is a big step in the right direction.