Lupita Nyong’o is clapping back at Vogue for comparing her hair to Audrey Hepburn’s.
At Monday night’s Met Gala, the always stunning Nyong’o walked the red carpet in a breathtaking sequined gown by Calvin Klein – but it was her gravity-defying hair that really got people talking.
On the red carpet, the “12 Years A Slave” star told Vogue that the updo was inspired by “the sculptural hairdos from all around the continent,” and that it was also a nod to Nina Simone.
Shortly after the gala, Vogue posted a story on their website called “Is Lupita Nyong’o the New Audrey Hepburn? Celebrating the Star’s Met Gala Hair.”
While the story does mention that Nyong’o cited influences “ranging from The Matrix to Nina Simone,” it heavily hinges on the comparison between Nyong’o’s Met Gala hair and the hairstyle Audrey Hepburn donned in a 1963 Vogue shoot.
“The sculptural style is also reminiscent of the updo Audrey Hepburn (left) sported in a 1963 Vogue shoot with Bert Stern,” the article reads. Given white culture’s tendency toward appropriation, it seems more likely that Hepburn’s coif borrowed from precisely these “distinctly African styles.” Regardless, Nyong’o quickly and politely corrected the misattribution in an Instagrammed slideshow of her real hair influences.
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