Since winning an Academy Award last year, Lupita Nyong'o has quickly developed into one of Hollywood's brightest ingénues and fashion "It" girls. As a result, Glamour magazine has crowned her one of their Women of the Year.

The title means that Nyong'o is joining the ranks of Lady Gaga, Kerry Washington, Barbra Streisand and Malala Yousafzai, who were all honored last year.

In her accompanying interview with the women's lifestyle publication, it became apparent that Nyong'o is the real deal and why she serves as an inspiration to women across the globe.

"Losing my anonymity is something that's proving to be very challenging. It's good for your soul to walk around unnoticed; there's so much you can't do when everybody knows who you are. And so I miss those little things," the actress said.

In the December issue, the Mexican-Kenyan actress conversed about diversity in Hollywood and discrimination against darker skin, saying Oprah Winfrey has been her inspiration.

"Oprah played a big role in my understanding of what it meant to be female and to really step into your own power. I wouldn't even call her a role model; she was literally a reference point. You have the dictionary, you have the Bible, you have Oprah," she said.

One of her biggest insecurities was that she looked so much different than the atypical screen siren because for her darker skin complexion.

"European standards of beauty are something that plague the entire world," she said. "This is the message, that dark skin is unacceptable. I definitely wasn't hearing this from my immediate family -- my mother never said anything to that effect -- but the voices from the television are usually much louder than the voices of your parents."

Nyong'o, 31, shot into the spotlight after co-starring in the period biographical drama "12 Years A Slave," which earned her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. During a video interview with Glamour, which was posted to YouTube on Tuesday, Nov. 3, the star divulged candidly about how she has adjusted in her career post-fame.

For one, the fashion world adores her, and she delights fans of her work as a nascent film star.

"I've had somebody say, 'I want you at my wedding, but I don't want you to pull focus, so wear jeans!'" Nyong'o said.

The actress has bagged roles in two upcoming all-star movies, "Jungle Book: Origins" and "Star Wars: Episode VII."

"I come from a loving, supportive family, and my mother taught me that there are more valuable ways to achieve beauty than just through your external features. Beautiful people have many advantages, but so do friendly people. ... I think beauty is an expression of love. There's room in this world for beauty to be diverse," she said.

Reacting to the being one of the Women of the Year, Nyongo' posted beside a snapshot of the December 2014 cover onto her Instagram.


"I am honored to be @glamourmag's Woman of The Year. And what a year it has been!" the caption reads.
Watch Nyong'o's interview with Glamour below:

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