Girl On Fire: Actress Lupita Nyong'o for ELLE UK FEBRUARY 2014

I'm going to celebrate Lupita Nyong'o and other women who would not normally receive the promotion and praise for their beauty just as long as I have a platform. Folks don't realize that while they're waiting for members of the mainstream media to promote their own ideas of beauty, there are many of us who self-validate our own existence and celebrate our beauty without waiting on the approval of others.

Lupita's beauty was captured by the super talented photographer James O. Roberts for the February 2014 issue of ELLE UK.

Photos: James O. Roberts