Lupita Nyong'o Explains Why No One Should Touch Her Hair

Lupita Nyong’o is on the cover PORTER‘s latest issue, on sale globally on Friday (August 10) and also available as a digital edition.

Here’s what the 35-year-old Black Panther actress had to say…

On why no one should dare touch her hair: “My hair is something that, historically, has been shunned, I mean, how often do you hear ‘You can’t get a job with hair like that’?” Natural, African, kinky hair – it’s often been painted as uncivilized or wild. Being featured on the cover of a magazine fulfills me as it is an opportunity to show other dark, kinky-haired people, and particularly our children, that they are beautiful just the way they are.”

On celebrating her diverse heritage: “My whole outlook and sense of self is Kenyan, but my mom made a point of letting me know that I was born someplace else, so I always felt an affinity, a need to get to know that place. I was the only one in my family born there. It was the thing that made me special.”

On being an actress: “At times, I’ve had to remind myself why I love this. It’s not because of the recognition. I love it because I enjoy experiencing the world through other people’s eyes.”

For more from Lupita, visit PORTER.com.