Met Gala 2019: Lupita Nyong'o's afro pick hairstyle had a hidden meaning
Nyong'o's hairstylist described the experience of curating the look as 'emotional'
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Your support makes all the difference.Lupita Nyong’o's Met Gala 2019 hairstyle had a secret meaning, according to her hairstylist.
On the first Monday of May, the Met Gala delivers an array of red carpet looks that veer away from orthodox ballgowns and instead towards fun and experimental ensembles.
And the same can be said for the beauty looks, too.
A whole host of celebrities, including Jennifer Lopez and Ciara, interpreted this year’s theme – “Camp: Notes on Fashion” – through a string of show-stopping hair and makeup moments, but it was Nyong’o’s that made the biggest impact.
The Us actor enlisted the help of celebrity hairstylist Vernon Francois to create her look for the evening, resulting in a towering afro complete with a crown of five gilded afro picks.
But, aside from complementing her rainbow-inspired dress perfectly, the gold combs, which featured “Fight the Power” raised fists as handles, served another purpose.
Sharing a behind-the-scenes photo on Instagram of how his team painted the afro picks, Francois wrote: “WOW. This is been quite an emotional experience for me over the past 48hrs.
“The raised fist logo represent unity, solidarity. Also known as Black Power. I will leave it there for now.
“Yes we hand spray painted them gold I will be hanging this up on my wall.”
In a separate Instagram post, Francois also revealed that the look was partly inspired by artist Lauren Kelley's self-portrait “Pickin'” (2007), which shows her wearing a crown of hair picks, and also former queen of France, Marie Antionette.
“Our goal is to continue to demonstrate the power of our hair texture that it is the most mouldable and luxurious hair texture there is,” he added.
Celebrity make-up artist Nick Barose finished Nyong’o’s look with glossy black lips, retraced extra-high, pencil thin eyebrows and applied metallic eyeshadow in bright pink and silver glitter.
The Black Panther actor wore a multi-coloured star-print dress that featured a sheer sparkly gown and exaggerated shoulders.
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