Lupita Nyong'o admits to being 'teased and taunted' over skin complexion

Lupita Nyong'o has admitted that she was teased and taunted about her skin complexion and as a young girl, she had wished her dark-hued skin would become lighter.

The '12 Years A Slave' star said during Essence magazine's seventh annual Black Women in Hollywood luncheon that her one prayer to God was that she would wake up with a lighter skin tone, CBS NEWS reported.

Nyong'o, who was born in Mexico but raised in Kenya, said that she would be very excited in the morning to see if her skin color had changed, but was disappointed for being just as dark as the day before.

The Oscar nominee said that she even tried to bribe the Almighty by vowing to stop eating sugar cubes and to never lose her school sweater again to have her skin color changed.

She said that her perception changed when she discovered Sudanese British supermodel Alek Wek, and began to believe in her own beauty.

The 30-year-old actress said she would also like to inspire young women and hopes that her screen presence and her face in magazines may help young girls lead a beautiful journey.

Nyong'o added that she hopes girls would feel the validation of their external beauty and would also get to the deeper business of being beautiful inside.