Actress Lupita Nyong'o’s New Book ‘Sulwe’ Will Acknowledge The Beauty Of Girls Of Colour

36-year-old Lupita Nyong'o, the famous Hollywood actress is all set to become a published author with her first children's book titled Sulwe. The book narrates the story of a girl named 'Sulwe', meaning 'star' in the Lupita's native language.

This book is intended to give strong and powerful messages to girls of colour. The 48-page book is scheduled to release on 15 October 2019.

Though we are developed and are enjoying various technological advancements around us, there are some girls who still feel inferior because of their dark complexion. The same can be inferred from the summary of the book.

Sulwe is darker than everyone in her family and school but she wants to look beautiful just like her mother and sister. This is when something magical happens that changes everything.

On 1 October 2019, Lupita shared her picture of her 5-year-old self. Through this picture, she has tried to reflect on how she looked and what she thought about herself when she was young.

"As a little girl reading, I had all of these windows into the lives of people who looked nothing like me, chances to look into their worlds, but I didn't have any mirrors. While windows help us develop empathy and an understanding of the wider world, mirrors help us develop our sense of self, and our understanding of our own world," the caption read.

She says she wants to make the children acknowledge themselves and accept the way they are.
"#Sulwe holds up a mirror for dark-skinned children especially, to see themselves reflected immediately, and it is a window for all the others to cherish peering into," she mentioned.

View this post on Instagram

This is 5-year-old me. I reflected on this little girl's feelings and fantasies when I decided to write my children's book, #Sulwe. With this book, I wanted to hold up a mirror for her. Here's why: As a little girl reading, I had all of these windows into the lives of people who looked nothing like me, chances to look into their worlds, but I didn't have any mirrors. While windows help us develop empathy and an understanding of the wider world, mirrors help us develop our sense of self, and our understanding of our own world. They ground us in our body and our experiences. #Sulwe holds up a mirror for dark-skinned children especially, to see themselves reflected immediately, and it is a window for all the others to cherish peering into. Colorism, society's preference for lighter skin, is alive and well. It's not just a prejudice reserved for places with a largely white population. Throughout the world, even in Kenya, even today, there is a popular sentiment that lighter is brighter. I imagined what it would have been like for this little girl to turn the pages of her picture books and see more dark skin in a beautiful light. This book is my dream come true for kids like her today. #Sulwe arrives October 15. ✨ Link in bio to pre-order. #NationalBookMonth #BrightnessIsJustWhoYouAre

A post shared by Lupita Nyong'o (@lupitanyongo) on Oct 1, 2019 at 12:24pm PDT

She also talked about how society is still stigmatised for having fairer skin and the way people feel privileged for having a fairer skin tone.
"Colorism, society's preference for lighter skin, is alive and well. It's not just a prejudice reserved for places with a largely white population," she wrote further.

Lupita believes that the book will help people with dark skin to develop a love for themselves rather than feeling inferior. Through this book children, especially girls of colour will be able to consider themselves to be equally beautiful.

View this post on Instagram

Jumping for joy because my book #Sulwe will be on shelves in exactly two months! The power of children's books is how their value appreciates with time – we love them now and understand them later. I want #Sulwe to be a seed for children to grow and draw from in later years. No matter your age, it's never too late to love the skin you’re in and to see the beauty that radiates from within! Over the next few months, I will share stories of stars of all ages who shine like Sulwe with the hashtag #BrightnessIsJustWhoYouAre. Please join me and show me what light YOU shine!🌟Pre-order at the link in bio.

A post shared by Lupita Nyong'o (@lupitanyongo) on Aug 15, 2019 at 7:26am PDT

We are too excited for the book to release and inspire people, especially women. We hope this book helps them to feel beautiful inside and out.