• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
MPWMost Powerful Women

Lupita Nyong’o Blasts U.K. Magazine for Photoshopping Out Her ‘Kinky, Coily Hair’

Claire Zillman
By
Claire Zillman
Claire Zillman
Editor, Leadership
Down Arrow Button Icon
Claire Zillman
By
Claire Zillman
Claire Zillman
Editor, Leadership
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 10, 2017, 5:58 AM ET
ENTERTAINMENT-CINEMA-WOMEN-CRYSTAL + LUCY AWARDS
Actress Lupita Nyong'o attends the 2017 Crystal + Lucy Awards on June 13, 2017 in Beverly Hills, California.Valerie Macon — AFP/Getty Images

Actress Lupita Nyong’o on Thursday voiced her displeasure with the glossy British magazine Grazia U.K. for how she appeared on its cover.

“Disappointed that @GraziaUK edited out & smoothed my hair to fit a more Eurocentric notion of what beautiful hair looks like,” she posted on Twitter.

Nyong’o, of 12 Years a Slave fame, also posted a lengthy statement on Instagram. With the messages, she attached photos of Grazia’s edited November 2017 cover and what appeared to be original images from the cover photo shoot. The end product shows Nyong’o with a short, sheen cut minus a ponytail’s worth of hair. The Oscar winner also added the hashtag #dtmh to her posts, short of “don’t touch my hair.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BbTCfXKDjc8/?hl=en

The photoshop job, she said, was an attempt by the magazine to make her “fit their notion of what beautiful hair looks like.”

Subscribe: The Broadsheet, Fortune’s newsletter on powerful women.

“Had I been consulted, I would have explained that I cannot support or condone the omission of what is my native heritage with the intention that they appreciate that there is still a very long way to go to combat the unconscious prejudice against black women’s complexion, hair style and texture,” she said.

Bauer Media, which owns Grazia, did not immediately return Fortune‘s request for comment.

Nyong’o’s criticism of the cover comes weeks after singer Solange Knowles blasted the London Evening Standard magazine with similar feedback. Knowles appeared on its cover without a braid crown she’d had at the cover photoshoot. On Instagram, Knowles posted an original image and tagged the Evening Standard with the #dtmh hashtag. “Don’t Touch My Hair” is the title of a song on Knowles’s latest album.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bab6yVZhESx/?hl=en

The fashion industry has made strides of late to broaden and diversify its image of beauty, but magazines undercut those efforts when they—quite literally—erase the traits that make women unique.

About the Author
Claire Zillman
By Claire ZillmanEditor, Leadership
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Claire Zillman is a senior editor at Fortune, overseeing leadership stories. 

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in MPW

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in MPW

She left Citigroup after 18 years as one of its top women. Why Ida Liu chose HSBC as her next move
NewslettersMPW Daily
She left Citigroup after 18 years as one of its top women. Why Ida Liu chose HSBC as her next move
By Nicholas GordonApril 27, 2026
2 days ago
Trek spent over $300,000 closing women’s cycling’s prize-money gap. Its CEO says the point is to make the checks obsolete
MPWSports
Trek spent over $300,000 closing women’s cycling’s prize-money gap. Its CEO says the point is to make the checks obsolete
By Catherina GioinoApril 26, 2026
3 days ago
Meet the founder who started over at 50 and worked 20-hour days to build a multimillion dollar cookie dough empire—and still won’t take a day off
EuropeFortune The Good Life
Meet the founder who started over at 50 and worked 20-hour days to build a multimillion dollar cookie dough empire—and still won’t take a day off
By Orianna Rosa RoyleApril 26, 2026
3 days ago
Fortune 500 Power Moves: Which executives gained and lost power this week
C-SuiteFortune 500 Power Moves
Fortune 500 Power Moves: Which executives gained and lost power this week
By Fortune EditorsApril 24, 2026
5 days ago
Esther, Janet, Susan, and Anne Wojcicki stand in formal dresses and pose.
SuccessLeadership
‘Godmother of Silicon Valley’ Esther Wojcicki, mother of the YouTube and 23andMe CEOs, shares her secret to raising future leaders 
By Jacqueline MunisApril 23, 2026
5 days ago
milan
Arts & EntertainmentItaly
‘It’s a film that is good for the city’: Milan welcomes ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’
By Colleen Barry and The Associated PressApril 23, 2026
6 days ago

Most Popular

Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne—whose stake would be worth up to $400 billion had he not sold it in 1976—says that at 91, he has no regrets
Success
Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne—whose stake would be worth up to $400 billion had he not sold it in 1976—says that at 91, he has no regrets
By Preston ForeApril 27, 2026
2 days ago
‘The cost of compute is far beyond the costs of the employees’: Nvidia executive says right now AI is more expensive than paying human workers
AI
‘The cost of compute is far beyond the costs of the employees’: Nvidia executive says right now AI is more expensive than paying human workers
By Sasha RogelbergApril 28, 2026
22 hours ago
The U.S. military may have already used up half of its most expensive missiles, and it could take up to 4 years to rebuild its stockpiles
Politics
The U.S. military may have already used up half of its most expensive missiles, and it could take up to 4 years to rebuild its stockpiles
By Sasha RogelbergApril 24, 2026
4 days ago
Current price of gold as of April 28, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of April 28, 2026
By Danny BakstApril 28, 2026
16 hours ago
OPEC shocker as UAE leaves oil cartel days after negotiating swap lines with Scott Bessent’s Treasury
Energy
OPEC shocker as UAE leaves oil cartel days after negotiating swap lines with Scott Bessent’s Treasury
By Nick LichtenbergApril 28, 2026
15 hours ago
Current price of silver as of Tuesday, April 28, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Tuesday, April 28, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerApril 28, 2026
17 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.