Breakout star Lupita Nyong’o has been named People’s Most Beautiful Woman for 2014. The honor continues an extraordinary year for the actress, who won a Best Actress Oscar for her role in 12 Years a Slave and became the face of Lancome.
“It was exciting and just a major, major compliment," the 31-year-old says of gracing this year's cover. And especially, I was happy for all the girls who would see me on [it] and feel a little more seen,” she told People.
Growing up in Kenya, Nyong’o said she started to think "Light skin and long, flowing, straight hair” was the definition of beauty.
"Subconsciously you start to appreciate those things more than what you possess,” she said. But eventually she became comfortable in her own skin.
The actress, who also appears in Non-Stop alongside Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore, said she feels the most flattered “when I have been called beautiful with not one drop of makeup on.”
Last year, Gwyneth Paltrow was named the Most Beautiful Woman of the year.