‘If a woman wants to wear make-up to school to feel confident in an environment where she’s a minority, why not?’

As a hugely successful actress changing the game for outdated beauty standards, women’s rights activist and the face of beauty giant Lancôme, it makes sense that Lupita Nyong’o has always been seriously passionate about wearing make-up. More specifically, about women having the choice to wear, or not wear, make-up according to their own preference, not someone else’s.

Speaking to InStyle in an interview this week, Nyong’o revealed that her campaigning for gender equality and the abolition of female specific ‘rules’ began way back when she was just a teenager.

The 12 Years A Slave actress recalled her experience at an all-boys secondary school, where she was one of a handful of girls that attended. Being surrounded by hundreds of teenage boys with only a few fellow girls to take strength in? That’s hard enough.

But to top it off, the school enforced an outdated make-up ban on Lupita and the select group of female students. ‘There was an archaic rule that said that girls could not wear make-up to school. I was angry that the powers that be were trying to basically oppress and control the small female population,’ the Kenyan-Mexican actress revealed.

The only thing to do? Start a petition.

‘I said to myself, “Look, if a woman wants to wear make-up to school to feel confident in an environment where she’s a minority, why not? It doesn’t actually change whether or not she’s able to take in the information being given to her in the classroom.”‘

Amen to that sister.

Although some might see this as a superficial act of rebellion for rebellion’s sake, it’s worth bearing in mind that Nyong’o herself didn’t actually wear make-up. This wasn’t a campaign to wear her favourite lip gloss (and so what if it was?), this was a much-needed act against outdated perceptions that women who wear make-up aren’t ‘office appropriate’.

And if you think that particular fight is over, you’d be wrong again. A dubious, not to mention, sexist, ‘study’ concluded just this year that women who wear make-up are less likely to be considered good leaders in the workplace.

Clearly, teenage Lupita was onto something. We’re with you Lupita!