Celebrities are constantly endorsing great animal welfare causes - PETA in particular is favorite among the Hollywood elite - but not all stars seem to have a strategy in mind for making sure the message hits home. With her latest Instagram post about ending the ivory trade, we can count Lupita Nyong'o among the few who do know how to not only captivate their fan bases, but create a true call to action.
On Feb. 4, Nyong'o posted a split screen, black-and-white photo of her and an elephant, with a delightfully meta caption informing her followers about the reason for the post.
The 32-year-old's obvious strategy of informing fans of the cause by detailing her conversation with a "Fred" about the post is a refreshing take on the typical celebrity endorsement. The website Nyong'o references, YearoftheElephant.org, shows that she's joined by fellow celebrity "Global Elephant Ambassadors" Yao Ming and Ian Somerhalder. The Year of the Elephant campaign is the latest from WildAid, an organization whose "mission is to end the illegal wildlife trade in our lifetimes."
It's unsurprising that Nyong'o has lent her star status to this worthy cause, since she's been the face of others in the past. In 2015, The Daily Mail reports, she teamed up with Lancome and fellow actresses Kate Winslet, Lily Collins, and Penelope Cruz as an ambassador to support of research designed to help fight stigmas associated with women and aging.