Female celebrities in the movie industry are faced with many challenges especially when it comes to bagging movie roles, while many have complained about the sex for roles culture in Nollywood, others are faced with the issue of colourism as actresses like Ini Edo and Mercy Johnson have stated that light-skinned ladies are mostly preferred by filmmakers to the dark-skinned ones.
While many dark-skinned actresses have bowed to the pressure to bleach their skin just to fit in, a few others have maintained their colour, defying the peer and societal pressure to give in to bleaching.
Qed.ng compiled a list of 10 Nollywood actresses who have maintained their dark skin in spite of the pressure of the bleaching culture.
10 Linda Osifo
Actress Linda Osifo was the first runner-up in Miss Nigeria Entertainment Canada 2011 and 2nd runner-up in Miss AfriCanada 2011 beauty pageant. The 30-year-old dared to compete in beauty pageants alongside light-skinned girls and she had a successful modeling career.
9 Beverly Naya
British-born Nigerian actress Beverly Naya is not only proud of her African roots, but she also takes delight in showing off her dark skin on social media.
Her documentary on colourism titled Skin compiles the stories of black women in Nigeria who have been treated differently for having dark skin. They speak openly about the pressures of being defined.
She said: “I want to inspire young people to love themselves. And I decide to use my documentary, ‘Skin,’ because I didn’t want to restrict my message to a small community. I knew it was important to get the message further.
8 Diana Yekinni
Another actress who takes delight in showing off her dark skin is Diana Yekinni.
The former Jenifa’s Diary star was also featured in the Skin documentary.
She said: “I love my complexion, I think the usual growing up you’re like gosh I wanna be light, I want to be like the other light-skinned girls, they get more attention and stuff but I think the older you get, you kind of embrace this is my colour, this is what I look like and I love.
7 Annie Idibia
Actress turned reality star Annie Idibia is another beautiful screen diva who has been able to maintain her natural skin without any traces of bleaching.
The Young, Famous & African star made a statement and showed the true essence of melanin by featuring as a vixen in her husband 2face Idbia’s hit song ‘African Queen’ alongside another dark-skinned actress Yvonne Jegede back in 2004.
6 Ini Dima Okojie
Actress Ini Dima Okojie has become one of the most sought-after Nollywood actresses of her time, in spite of her skin colour.
The newly wedded movie star who tied the knot with Abasi Eno-Obong who is also dark-skinned in May 2022, tagged her wedding a chocolate love story, showing how proud she was of her skin colour.
5 Funke Akindele
Actress Funke Akindele is another actress who has refused to bow to the bleaching culture in Nollywood. The actress has motivated and inspired many through her hard work and zeal for success. Having created one of the most successful TV series in Nigeria, the Jenifa’s Diary star has proven that being a dark-skinned girl is no longer a barrier to achieving greatness.
4 Mercy Johnson
Like others, Nollywood’s drama queen Mercy Johnson, encountered many challenges as a dark-skinned girl when she first started acting.
In an interview with Punch, Mercy revealed she lost roles in her early days as an actress due to her skin colour.
She said: “It is very true that when I was starting out in the movie industry, it was difficult to get roles because of my complexion.” Today Mercy is one of the highest-paid actresses in Nollywood.
3 Ini Edo
If Beyonce’s ‘Brown Skin Girl’ came with an award, actress Ini Edo would definitely be one of the recipients. Since her World Apart days, Ini Edo has proven that talent and hard work trump colourism in Nollywood.
In a recent interview with Lilian Afegbai, Ini Edo said: “When I came in it was mostly dominated by the light-skinned girls, there were just a few of us who were dark-skinned girls so coming in from that place and trying to drive yourself to a point of acceptability, took a lot of work, then passion. Social media was not there to make people see how fly you were or how talented you were, it was the work.”
2 Kate Henshaw
Veteran actress Kate Henshaw usually leaves many questioning her age as the 50-year-old could pass for a lady in her 30s despite her dark skin which many believe makes one appear older than their age.
The fitness lover began her career when light-skinned girls dominated the industry and she had to compete with the likes of Lilian Bach, Shan George, Steph Nora Okere, Sandra Achums and Benita Nzeribe.
While some of these big names have taken a break from Nollywood, Kate Henshaw still remains relevant and has been often referred to as the Jennifer Lopez of Nigeria.
1 Genevieve Nnaji
Nollywood diva Genevieve Nnaji is another actress who inspires young ladies to maintain their black skin, her poise, beauty and calmness have been a source of motivation to many.
Despite having to compete with the likes of light-skinned actresses like Omotola, Rita Dominic and Stella Damasus, Genny as she is fondly called refused to bow to pressure to become fair.
