The Debate Over Olandria and Lupita Shows How Colorism Warps Who Is Considered Beautiful 

Dark-skinned Black women often face a strange blindness — from society and even from within the community — when it comes to beauty. It is not simply that others overlook them. At times, Black women themselves fail to recognize the value of their own features. Recent viral moments, from a TikToker attacking Lupita Nyong’o to debates over Olandria’s beauty from Love Island, show how deep this blindness runs.

The TikToker And Lupita Nyong’o Beauty Debate

A TikTok creator going by @msjorjiabg sparked outrage when she claimed that Lupita Nyong’o was not truly attractive and only praised as a “pity choice.” She dismissed Lupita as a “struggle” beauty and argued that people hand out compliments to dark-skinned women as if being pretty while dark is an exception.

Did she just reference Lupita as being the “struggle black girl” because she’s been ranked one of the most gorgeous women????? pic.twitter.com/ij7yrrNpyy

— 𝟐𝐊.𝐃𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠 🐈‍⬛ (@KayyyHope) August 5, 2025

Her comments revealed a strain of internalized colorism common among some Black women. She argued that Rihanna, not Lupita, should be the standard when challenging white beauty ideals. This is not a denial of Rihanna’s beauty, she is exceptionally beautiful. But the choice itself was telling. Msjorjiabg wanted Rihanna’s lighter skin to serve as the counterpoint to Lupita’s darker complexion. That is colorism 101, elevating lightness to undermine dark-skinned representation.

The backlash was swift. Dark-skinned women themselves rejected her view, defending Lupita as a beauty icon who has long stood at the front line of the fight against colorism. Lupita has built a global reputation as both actress and advocate, and to deny her place in beauty culture is to deny the progress she represents. What made this episode especially disturbing was that many people online pointed out that Lupita is considered conventionally more attractive than the creator herself.

Olandria’s Beauty and the Backlash That Exposes Colorism

The same blind spot appeared with Olandria, one of the most visible contestants on Love Island USA. A tweet describing her as “ugly as hell” and only celebrated because of her dark complexion went viral with 1.8 million views. This is not the first time Olandria has faced this level of scrutiny. Women across the spectrum—Black, white, light-skinned, and dark-skinned—have voiced opinions dismissing her beauty, often labeling her ‘ugly’ because of her strong features, particularly her pronounced eyes. The criticism echoes a pattern: dismissing a dark-skinned woman’s beauty as tokenism while presuming lightness equals superiority.

Fans who support Olandria see her beauty as genuine. Many Black women praise her confidently, yet detractors frame their admiration as false. Nic, her partner, has openly defended her, saying he cannot understand how anyone could not find her attractive. His words highlight what should be obvious, but colorism clouds judgment.

The reaction to Olandria beauty shows how threatening it is for an unambiguous dark-skinned woman with broader features to receive visible praise. The anger reveals more about the insecurities of others than it does about her looks.

Black Women’s Media Promotion And Glamour

This blindness is reinforced by media patterns. Consider the Old Navy campaign widely seen as a counter to Sydney Sweeney’s “Good Jeans” ad. A dark-skinned model was placed center stage, yet some insisted she was not attractive enough to compete. In reality, her features matched — and in many eyes surpassed — Sydney’s. What she lacked was not beauty, but the layer of sexualization often added to white women in ad campaigns.

@oldnavy warning: watching this may cause sudden denim envy. @gezellerenee ♬ original sound – Old Navy Official

This is what glamour does. White women benefit from glossy, aspirational promotion that convinces audiences they are more beautiful than they may be. Dark-skinned women, meanwhile, are often cast in narratives of struggle, poverty, or hypersexuality. When they appear in aspirational campaigns, their beauty becomes harder to deny. Without that kind of representation, many cannot see it at all.

The Trap Of Colorism And The Need For Corrective Representation

The deeper problem is that some Black women adopt these same skewed standards. The TikToker herself appeared unaware that Lupita is widely considered more attractive than she is by many people. The woman who attacked Olandria seemed convinced that her lighter skin excused other factors, even though many people disagreed.

This lack of self-awareness reveals a dangerous trap. Internalized bias convinces women that their worth comes from proximity to whiteness, not from embracing their own features or authenticity. It blinds them to their own beauty and to the beauty of other dark-skinned women. Then it forces us to compete with one another. If our beauty features are not Eurocentric, we are seen as not beautiful and therefore unworthy of the title.

Celebrating Lupita, Olandria, or the Old Navy model is not about pity. It is corrective promotion. For too long, the only images pushed were those of light-skinned or ambiguous women. Dark-skinned women deserve the same glamour, the same aspirational campaigns, and the same relentless celebration.

If light-skinned women can be endlessly hyped, then dark-skinned women can be affirmed without apology. Dismissing that affirmation as tokenism is itself the product of colorism.