Bethann Hardison Thinks Lupita Nyong’o Is Undeniable

Photo: WENN

Lupita Nyong’o’s Lancôme deal might have just given everyone’s favorite new It-Girl a permanent iron throne among her Hollywood royalty cohorts. It’s all part of Team Lupita’s strategy, writes The New York Times, who spoke with key member’s the actress’s circle, Lancôme exces, and Lupita fan, Bethann Hardison.

From relative obscurity to red carpet stardom, Lupita’s rise was an extremely calculated ascent. Her stylist, Micaela Erlanger, told the Times, “A lot of people think you just waltz onto the red carpet looking fresh-faced and fabulous. But there’s a campaign behind it, a business behind it, and you’re focusing throughout on your message.”

That campaign started before the wide release of “12 Years A Slave” from early September 2013 to this year’s Academy Awards in March, Lupita walked almost 70 red carpets–something the Times compares to “roughly the equivalent of being crowned prom queen three times a week for almost half a year”–and made a splash at pretty much each and every one.

Everyone sang her style praises, including us. Of that campaign, model and runway diversity advocate Bethann Hardison commented, “Lupita’s stylist and her team should be given a round of applause. They put her right in your face and you couldn’t deny anything she did. That was genius.”

Because Lupita seems so cool, you’d naturally assume making her an It-Girl was an easy feat, but there were challenges involved. Most notably her team had to find a way to allow her personality to shine beyond her character of Patsy in “12 Years A Slave.” Erlanger mentioned making sure to choose styles to convey Lupita’s “sense of whimsy, her sense of glamour, a sense of the different characters she could play.”

It worked, obviously. Lancôme execs noticed her shine went beyond the shimmer of a good outfit. Silvia Galfo, senior vice president for marketing at Lancôme, told the paper, ”We want women who have their own authenticity, and with Lupita, it was obvious from the first that she was not fake, that she was not someone hiding behind a great dress and great makeup.”

Authenticity begets positive feedback, and things are looking pretty sunny for Lupita right now.

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