Celebrating Women’s History Month, Sulwe is a visual affirmation for girls of all colors to embrace their beauty from the inside and out; the night’s afterglow is just as beautiful as the day’s luminance.
Sulwe, you are a star! Kenyan Mexican actress Lupita Nyong’o explores inner beauty and beauty in various complexions through her fable Sulwe. Sulwe details a young girl’s struggle to discover her beauty and worth once she compares her skin tone to her family’s. As they all have lighter complexions than her, she tries to lighten her skin so that classmates will compliment her like her sister. However, once she tells her mother about her quarrels, her mother retells a fable of sister’s Day and Night. Although Sulwe ignores the fable’s message of the importance of both sisters and their appearances, a shooting star highlights Sulwe’s beauty and light from within. In Sulwe, Sulwe’s parents and peers empower her to display beauty from within and to be proud of her race, beauty, and legacy. Nyong’o also reminds all children that any skin tone is beautiful in its unique way, just like the day and night skies. (Ages 3-5)
