Lupita Nyong’o Makes an Appearance on Sesame Street: Why She and Elmo Love the Skin They’re In!

Here is why I love Sesame Street—the educational children’s television program has been on the air for 45 years, enriching the lives of youth all over the world, and consistently lives up to it’s legacy as being progressive, yet sensitive, when teaching children about the ways of the world, even lightly touching on current social issues and addressing them in a context kids can absorb. It’s an outlet for kids to learn basic reading, writing, and arithmetic skills, but also takes the time educate youth on basic life skills, conditioning the next generation to be even more compassionate and intelligent than the former. I myself grew up learning from Elmo, Big Bird, and the whole gang, and I believe that the show certainly contributed to my personal academic and social prosperity, as the lessons learned provided me with an inherent, strong emotional and intellectual foundation. I still find myself occasionally humming along to some of songs, when trying to recall fundamental information. The lessons learned from Sesame Street really stick with kids for life, from sharing to shapes. This is why I was thrilled to find this segment of Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o and Elmo teaching children about the importance of skin care and embracing the skin they are in.

Which brings me to why I love Lupita—for those of you who don’t know, just days before winning her Oscar for her performance in 12 Years a Slave, Lupita Nyong’o was honored for Best Breakthrough Performance Award, at the 7th Annual Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon. At this event, she gave an incredibly moving speech about her personal struggles embracing her own physical beauty, both as a child and while she began cultivating her career as an actress, in an industry that has the propensity to endorse a limited comprehension of aesthetic beauty. Her ability to overcome all these adversities and her path to self love is truly inspiring to women of all colors, sizes, and looks, and it is more than apparent that the premiere beauty she possess, is two fold- her appearance is as gorgeous and captivating, as the high quality of her character. To read the speech, click here.

Obviously this is a topic that is too heavy for toddlers to comprehend and will inevitably go over the heads of even the most precocious children, but with the help of Elmo, Lupita communicates this message of self love, specifically “loving the skin you are in” eloquently, yet simplified and in terms children can understand. By instilling this positive message early on, Lupita is helping to prevent the next generation from grappling with insecurities and enduring what she went through personally, encouraging kids to love and embrace themselves and others for exactly who they are, as they are, because everyone’s skin tone is special and beautiful.

Yes, Lupita has a flawless complexion, hence it only makes sense that she would make the best teacher, on matters pertaining to skin and skin care, but we all know there is more to this clip than that, and the message is actually quite profound. Planting a seed like this in the minds of children will increase the possibility for children to grow up with a positive self image, stronger sense of self, and balanced self esteem. By passing on what she has learned from her own life experiences, Lupita is saving kids from going down that same difficult road she had to endure, to reach her current state of happiness with herself and inner peace. This is just one of the many ways she has given back to the world, touching the hearts of millions, and I find her ability to take proper advantage of her place as a role model and icon, beyond commendable. We at Miss Jessie’s admire Luptia’s work, and appreciate her positive impact on the world. Her position in the mainstream entertainment strata has only helped open the eyes of many, and we can’t wait to see what she will do next!

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