Lupita petitioned in high school so female students could wear make-up

"Black Panther" star Lupita Nyong'o says she led a petition in high school so that her female counterparts could wear make-up.

The 35-year-old actor said she had no interest in getting dolled up herself, but wanted the right for others as her peers would not be adversely affected by wearing make-up.

"I went to an all-boys school for high school, and they had girls in the last two classes. This is a school with 700 boys and a handful of girls.

"At one point, there was an archaic rule that said that girls could not wear makeup to school. I was angry that the powers that be were trying to basically oppress and control the small female population. It infuriated me to the point that I started a petition," Nyong'o told InStyle magazine.

"I said to myself, 'Look, if a woman wants to wear makeup to school to feel confident in an environment where she's a minority, why not? It doesn't actually change whether or not she's able to take in the information being given to her in the classroom'," she recalled of her time at St Mary's School in Nairobi, Kenya.

The Oscar-winning actor, who still believes makeup is barely an accessory, made history when went to become the first black ambassador for Lancome in 2014.